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Social system

About: Social system is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2974 publications have been published within this topic receiving 92395 citations.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Society of Society as mentioned in this paper is the final work of Niklas Luhmann's final work, Die Gesellschaft der Gesellchaft, which is based on communication as the only genuinely social phenomenon.
Abstract: This paper introduces Niklas Luhmann's final work, Die Gesellschaft der Gesellschaft (The Society of Society). According to Luhmann, sociologists have failed to produce even a partially adequate theory of society. Epistemological obstacles and humanist concerns for rationality and justice have prevented true progress in the discipline. With his “radically antihumanist, radically antiregional, and radically constructivistic” social system theory, Luhmann intends to bring about a sociological enlightenment. Die Gesellschaft der Gesellschaft focuses on communication as the only genuinely social phenomenon. Social systems differentiate and evolve as they communicate in three separate dimensions: the social, temporal, and functional. The path of evolution results from a history of variation, selection, and restabilization within these dimensions. Communication, bit by bit, produces social structures that, recursively, produce future structures. Society is communication. Sociology, as the science of society, is communication about how different societal systems operate, communicate, evolve, and maintain their boundaries.

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two general schools of thought offer contrasting visions concerning which kinds of social systems may best ameliorate social inequalities based on class, race, or gender as discussed by the authors, and the modernization perspective holds that development results in the creation of laws, institutions, and opportunities that are conducive to the erosion of such inequalities.
Abstract: Two general schools of thought offer contrasting visions concerning which kinds of social systems may best ameliorate social inequalities based on class, race, or gender. The modernization perspective holds that development results in the creation of laws, institutions, and opportunities that are conducive to the erosion of such inequalities. The opposing Marxian viewpoint maintains that inequality is rooted in private ownership, the elimination of which requires a complete transformation in the social relations of production. In regard to gender inequality, the latter socialist vision has long been favored by feminists as offering the better agenda for social advancement. Revolutionary socialist movements offered promises of social advances for women and openly sought their support, and the receipt of such support was often pivotal in the establishment of such regimes. Despite some evidence that revolutionary socialist states may have ameliorated social inequality, the current consensus is that gender inequality may be entrenched in various ways that transcend political economy. Recent commentators have noted the unpaid "promissory notes" issued to women by socialist regimes and have analyzed their default under the rubric of "women in the transition to socialism."' However, by the end of the 1980s this political context had changed considerably. After becoming disillusioned with the shared poverty that resulted from the inefficiencies inherent in socialist agricultural and industrial production, many societies in the ex-socialist bloc (including those

60 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the concept of trust put forth by Niklas Luhmann and Talcott Parsons and show the outline of trust and its connections to autopoietic systems theory.
Abstract: This article explores the concept of trust put forth by Niklas Luhmann and Talcott Parsons. It shows the outline of Luhmann's theory of trust and its connections to his autopoietic systems theory. It also deliberates upon the role of trust in the Luhmannian research of future society as well as examines the role of trust in risk society and shows why norms, values and familiarity play only a peripheral role in today's society. Trust is a way to control everyday interaction of the future. But what are the challenges and limits of Luhmann's concept of trust?

60 citations

Posted Content
Steffen Roth1
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a system-theoretical concept of innovation differentiating between an object-related, a temporal and a social dimension of newness, which they call social differentiation.
Abstract: The paper presents a system-theoretical concept of innovation differentiating between an object-related, a temporal and a social dimension of newness. Due to a so far strong bias to the two former dimensions an exclusive focus on its social dimension is imperative now. Innovations thus are introduced as new, exclusive forms of relations to oneself, to others and to the relationships of others. The difference these relations make is the distinction between social entities, i.e. the differentiation of social systems. Social differentiation can take three forms: segmented, stratified and functional differentiation. We thus can relate three types of relations with three forms of social entities and receive nine dimensions of sustainable innovation management. Using the example of a Swiss crowdsourcing service provider, the paper finally shows how rewarding the balancing of these dimensions can be, and that too strong a focus on an innovation’s economic outcome may result in lower profit.

60 citations

01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the question of whether collaborative virtual environments can be regarded as social systems and find evidence that a number of social conventions exist and that the nature of their expression was different depending on the media and functionality available in the environment.
Abstract: In this paper we explore the question of whether collaborative virtual environments can be regarded as social systems. One criteria of social systems is the presence of social conventions which serve as a basis for common communication. We conducted empirical research in three different on-line environments in order to identify explicit and implicit social conventions. We found evidence that a number of social conventions exist and that the nature of their expression was different depending on the media and functionality available in the environment.

60 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202316
202237
2021111
2020115
2019117
2018122