Abstract
This paper is an attempt to analyze the senses from a sociological perspective and within the context of Niklas Luhmann’s reflexive theory of social systems. A functional specification of the persceptive senses for the constitution and structuring of social systems will be achieved by means of the basic distinctions of system/environment, consciousness/communication, and interaction/society. Essentially, four levels can be distinguished with regard to perception, consciousness, and communication: 1) reflexive sensory perception of perceptions, 2) sensory perception of communication, 3) sensory perception due to communication, 4) communication based on purposefully initiated perception. As a result, the senses can be understood, on the one hand, as an infrastructural resource of communication and an ecological condition of society; on the other hand, they are themselves a binding, immanent structural principle of the social, or, more precisely, of interactions.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
