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Can Social Systems Be Autopoietic? Assessing Luhmann's Social Theory
Abstract
The theory of autopoiesis, that is systems that are self-producing or self-constructing, was originally developed to explain the particular nature of living as opposed to non-living entities. It was subsequently enlarged to encompass cognition and language leading to what is known as second-order cybernetics. However, as with earlier biological theories, many authors have tried to extend the domain of the theory to encompass social systems, the most notable being Luhmann. The purpose of this article is to consider critically the extent to which the theory of autopoiesis, as originally defined, can be applied to social systems – that is, whether social systems are autopoietic. And, if it cannot, whether some weaker version might be appropriate.
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“Feedback controls in biological organisms or cultural systems implement and maintain organization and purposiveness: ' in the social world . . . we see many groupings -families, companies, religions, cultures and societies -that exhibit long-term stability and persistence despite enormous changes in their environment, and their own internal membership and structure ' (Mingers 2002: 281).”
From Religion as a Complex and Dynamic System (2013) · cites this paper as Mingers 2002: 281
In the citing paper
“These systems are: self-producing; contingently maintained (so that they don't breakdown); structurally open but organizationally closed; structurally determined; able to be structurally coupled to other systems by mutual specification and/or co-evolution; and able to embrace embodied cognition and self-reference/recursion to enable self-construction/production (Mingers, 2002, p. 280).”
From Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action (2022) · cites this paper as Mingers, 2002
In the citing paper
“This can be achieved through the nature and dynamics of autopoiesis or self-producing/constructing physical systems (Bunker et al., 2013;Mingers, 2002Mingers, , 2004)).”
From Climate change and COP26: Are digital technologies and information management part of the problem or the solution? An editorial reflection and call to action (2022) · cites this paper as Mingers, 2002
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Metadata
- Authors
- Mingers, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Warwick (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Mingers, John
- ORCID
- Mingers, John
- Venue
- The Sociological Review
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-05
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 278-299
- ISSN
- 0038-0261 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-954X
- OpenAlex
- W1978626743
- Cited by
- 160
- References
- 85
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 11.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Sociological Review (publishedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › German Social Sciences and History
- Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Statistical and Nonlinear Physics › Complex Systems and Dynamics
- Keywords
- autopoiesis, social systems, Niklas Luhmann, second-order cybernetics, self-production, social theory, systems theory
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