Social Systems Theory is a set of theories that aim to understand human behavior and relationships between people in their social context.
Social systems theories are apparent in the work of (in temporal order order):
Niklas Luhmann, Systems Theory – Unlocking Luhmann
> As the current century draws to a close, sociology finds itself confronted with tasks of a new kind. The society that we observe is no longer that of Marx, of Weber, of Durkheim. Still less is it that of the Enlightenment or the French Revolution. More than ever before, the past has lost its authority—even in terms of the value criteria that were once fundamental to the pursuit of rationality. And more than ever before, perhaps for exactly this reason, it has become uncertain what kind of future awaits us. Matters are little changed by the application of specific scientific methods, of explanation and prognosis. However, it should be a least possible to appropriately describe what we face.
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Niklas Luhmann, Foreword to the Italian Edition of Unlocking Luhmann
Social Systems Theory is a set of theories that aim to understand human behavior and relationships between people in their social context.
Social systems theories are apparent in the work of (in temporal order order):
Max Weber
Talcott Parsons
Karl Weick
Stafford Beer
Fernando Flores
Gangolf Peters
Dutch Socio-Technical Systems Design Theory
On Cycles in Systems: see Olaf Brugman's presentation to ISSS
].
Go to Systems Theories.
Marc's Additions
Elinor Ostrom
Donella Meadows
Myles Horton
Ralf's Additions
Niklas Luhmann, Systems Theory – Unlocking Luhmann > As the current century draws to a close, sociology finds itself confronted with tasks of a new kind. The society that we observe is no longer that of Marx, of Weber, of Durkheim. Still less is it that of the Enlightenment or the French Revolution. More than ever before, the past has lost its authority—even in terms of the value criteria that were once fundamental to the pursuit of rationality. And more than ever before, perhaps for exactly this reason, it has become uncertain what kind of future awaits us. Matters are little changed by the application of specific scientific methods, of explanation and prognosis. However, it should be a least possible to appropriately describe what we face. –– Niklas Luhmann, Foreword to the Italian Edition of Unlocking Luhmann