Theory Of Self-referential Systems Research Articles

ПУБЛИЧНАЯ КРИТИКА КАК СРЕДСТВО ПРЕДУПРЕЖДЕНИЯ НАСИЛИЯ В ОБЩЕСТВЕ

Power is often interpreted as a violence, which is answered by other violence on the part of the opposition. The stronger the tyranny of the government, the stronger the resistance from the opposition, even to the use of terror. The Norwegian conflictologist J. Galtung in his concept of structural and cultural violence and the American political scientist R. Galtung have convincingly shown what comes out of such a confrontation. Dahl, who explored the relationship between the government and the opposition through public rivalry. Today often consider a category of «power» is not so much traditional power key as a communicative, discourse – as a phenomenon arising out of communicating and involving the society to choose a certain political code of the alternatives proposed by the management group and resulting from their joint discourse. In this case, such tools of political communication as public criticism and alternative views on what is happening on the part of the public, the opposition helps to avoid violence and understand not only how power arises, but also why it loses its authority and the opposition strengthens. The basis for this analysis, we find in critical theory of the German marxists and, above all, the scientific representatives of the Frankfurt school H. Arendt and J. Habermas, in genetic structuralism P. Bourdieu in the theory of self-referential systems of N. Luhmann, in post-sructuralism in M. Foucault et al. The reluctance of the authorities and the opposition to cooperate with each other in the form of constructive discourse is explained in particular by the «fundamentalism» in the thinking of both. The historical concept analysis of the Russian radical opposition shows that its ontogenesis is persistently reproduced every time a political (ideological) resource of the government is developed and society loses its perspective of development, when the government does not create itself and does not perceive alternatives from its opponents and prohibits public criticism.

Teorías neosistémicas y administración pública: posibilidades observacionales y regulativas

The use of neo-systemic theories and the theory of self-referential systems in the observation and analysis of public administration is still scarce. With few exceptions, the empirical use of the self-referential systems theory is rejected for various reasons, including its high degree of abstraction, its theoretical-conceptual ignorance, and its complex and diffuse empirical applicability. Within the framework of the complexity and polycentric presentation of modern societies, this study presents a reflection on the possibilities of applying this theory in the observation and analysis of public administration. This paper is structured in three sections. First, it describes the meaning of complexity and how it impacts on the structure of public administration. Secondly, the basic epistemological and conceptual premises of the self-referential systems theory for public administration (self-referentiality and self-organization) and recent contributions (contextual orientation) are presented. It is emphasized that the capacity of self-organization of the public administration is not only a spontaneous process, but can also be structured and sequentially managed from the outside of the system, that is, in autonomous internal and external combination. In this thesis two distinctive aspects stand out. On one hand, a weak or unfinished point of the systems theory is found when establishing a link between self-organization and leadership, which is considered as necessary based on the "sequential" idea, and that in the systemic optics in the public administration applies to its ability to be autonomous and in turn dependent on the outside (political system). On the other hand, the analysis of the link between self-organization (endogenous) and leadership (exogenous) is exposed. Next, the concept of “triple differentiation” is explained from the perspective of public administration as a specialized functional system. Finally, some lines and hypotheses are presented for future research.

Narrative Self-Reference and the Assessment of Knowledge

The concept of narrative self-reference incorporates selected aspects of literary theory into the theory of self-referential systems. Since cybernetics and systems theory focus mainly on computer-aided metaphors and information, the narrative approach provides a better insight into meaning. Narrative self-reference is the simplified narrative self-image that reflects the system-environment relationship and thereby stabilizes the system. Because the narrative is continuously re-written, continued and entangled in different practices, it provides the flexibility against new and disappointed expectations, and the stability for accountability and planning. Theoretical examples of further institutional, technical, authoritarian and pragmatic dependencies for the constitution of psychic and social systems with means of narrative self-reference are discussed. In summary, this article reflects the negotiating power of narratives by creating system boundaries for collaboration and a common ground for the assessment of knowledge. From this perspective, “post-truth” is not a lack of scientific authority, but more a lack of the virtue of an adequate dealing with narratives.

Autopoiesis in the Niklas Luhmann's system theory: reflections for a reontologization

Niklas Luhmann's theory of self-referential systems is a constantly changing theory. A reconceptualization and analysis of the original concept of autopoiesis and its adaptation were considered in this study, with the objective to analyze the possibilities to overcome its biological limitations and exploring communicative possibilities with the existence of a conscience. This procedure will allow to equate the concept with the binomial Luhmannian ego/alter in an explanatory plane of the social order, and present the functional equivalent of the double contingency concept as an operational option for a systemic theory ontologization.

A teoria neosistêmica de Niklas Luhmann e a noção de autopoiese comunicativa nos estudos organizacionais

Resumo Na teoria dos sistemas autorreferenciais, de Niklas Luhmann, a análise das organizações ocupa lugar de destaque, mas tem sido objeto de inúmeras controvérsias. Nos últimos anos, vêm sendo produzidos um diálogo e um cruzamento com os representantes da filosofia social pós-estruturalista, em particular, com aspectos referentes às possibilidades autorreferenciais das comunicações e da linguagem. Na atualidade, são diversos os pontos de vista teóricos que convergem para uma autodefinição construtivista, ecológica e sistêmica. Como possibilidade alternativa às limitações autopoiéticas na observação das organizações, propõe-se a ideia de autopoiese reflexiva.

El enfoque sociológico de la teoría y práctica del derecho

Luhmann elaboró una ambiciosa teoría en la que describe la sociedad moderna como un sistema. En este artículo plantea la necesidad de articular una sociología de la teoría jurídica para dar respuesta a ciertos problemas que la sociología no resuelve. El autor señala cómo la teoría de sistemas autorreferentes puede abrir nuevas perspectivas para esta problemática, insertando la autopoiesis en la teoría del derecho. De esta forma, sociología del derecho y teoría del derecho deben colaborar estrechamente. La teoría de los sistemas encuentra en este artículo sus inicios.

Fear as a medium of communication in asymmetric forms of warfare

Fear is defined as the distinction between risk and danger, a distinction that operates in communicative forms. War is always also warfare about the form of war. The article describes how fear in warfare becomes a symbolically generalized medium of communication, mainly focusing on how the form of fear evolves in asymmetric warfare. Asymmetric war induces fear in both parties, but in a communicative form that leads to very different experiences. Fear is observed and analysed with Niklas Luhmann's theory of self-referential systems of communication as well as his theory of risk. Following Luhmann and in continuation ofClausewitz' conceptual tools, yet with other means, the article proposes to observe war as a system that can de-ontologize itself and thereby concern moving centres of gravity such as communication lines, motivation, public fear, and perceptions of risk and insecurity. The final section draws together the theoretical insights by formalizing a risk analysis of fear.

Communication and Cognition: The Social Beyond Language, Interaction and Culture

Cognition theories describe the social with terms like language, interaction or culture, whose theoretical status has also been discussed in modern sociology. These concepts are not well-positioned to understand the emergence and autonomy of social orders. Sociological theory of self-referential systems can be useful to reconstruct the bottom-up process which contributes to the emergence of the social as communication as well as to describe the way in which society exerts downward causation upon cognitive phenomena. The core of this theory is the systemic category of meaning as a shared horizon for psychic and social systems.

Self and Other in Communication and Cognition: The Role of Auto-Communication and Intersubjectivity in Autopoiesis of Psychic Systems

By referring to Niklas Luhmann's theory of self-referential systems, Aldo Mascareño (2008, submitted for publication) gives an account of system-environment interrelatedness, explaining how social and individual constitute each other through the process of communication and co-creation of meanings. Two possible extensions to his account are discussed. Firstly, auto-communication within the system that happens without any external reference needs to be taken into account while describing the existence and constant re-creation of psychic systems. Secondly, in order for the system and environment or two systems to communicate, an imagined and temporary intersubjectivity between the two needs to be assumed.

Information Processing by Cyanobacteria During Adaptation to Environmental Phosphate Fluctuations

Phosphate limited grown Anabaena variabilis has the capability of processing information about external phosphate fluctuations by means of interconnected adaptive events. Adaptive events are physiological processes that are characterized by two opposite manifestations, namely adapted states and adaptive operation modes. In adapted states the energy-converting constituents of the uptake system operate under the prevailing external conditions in a coherent manner with least energy dissipation. Adaptive operation modes take place when adapted states are disturbed by persistent changes in phosphate supply. In this mode the outcome of former adaptations to elevated phosphate levels guides the emergence of a new adapted state. The influence of antecedent adapted states on subsequent adaptations was studied experimentally and characteristic examples for such information processing are given. The theory of self-referential systems allowed analyzing these examples. For this purpose adaptive events had to be considered as elements of a communicating network, in which, along a historic succession of alternating adapted states and adaptive operation modes, information pertaining to the self-preservation of the organism is transferred from one adaptive event to the next: the latter "interprets" environmental changes by means of distinct adaptive operation modes, aimed at preservation of the organism. The result of this interpretation is again leading to a coherent state that is passed on to subsequent adaptive events. A generalization of this idea to the adaptive interplay of other energy converting subsystems of the cell leads to the dynamic view of cellular information processing in which the organism re-creates itself in every new experience.