Thinking about the social outside the individual/society duality: Niklas Luhmann’s theory (Atena Editora)

Abstract

This work aims to present some central elements of the thought of German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. With emphasis on his writings on communication, we aim to demonstrate how this author's theory presents a way of thinking about society that does not fit into the individual/society duality, which has always permeated sociological thinking. Communication, for Luhmann, is not an exclusive attribute of individuals: any process or operation capable of producing meaning participates in communication, be they a scientific article, a criminal case, a class, a video, etc. For Luhmann, all these elements communicate and form communication networks that create the bases for a continuous reproduction of society. This network is created neither by free individual initiative nor by social coercion, but is updated based on its own horizons, so that a past communication serves as the basis for the next future communication. Thus, for Luhmann, only communication is capable of communicating.