Theory of Society

ThissecondvolumeofNiklasLuhmann'stwo-partfinalworkwasfirstpublishedinGermanin1997.Theculminationofhisthirty-yeartheoreticalprojecttoreconceptualizesociology,itoffersacomprehensivedescriptionofmodernsociety.Beginningwithanaccountofthefluidityofmeaningandtheaccordinglyhighimprobabilityofsuccessfulcommunication,Luhmannanalyzesarangeofcommunicativemedia,includinglanguage,writing,theprintingpress,andelectronicmedia,aswellas"successmedia,"suchasmoney,power,truth,andlove,allofwhichstructurethisfluidityandmakecommunicationpossible.Thebookaskswhatgivesrisetofunctionallydifferentiatedsocialsystems,howtheyevolve,andhowsocialmovements,organizations,andpatternsofinteractionemerge.Theadventofthecomputeranditsnetworks,whichtriggeredpotentiallyfar-reachingprocessesofrestructuring,receivesparticularattention.Aconcludingchapteronthesemanticsofmodernsociety'sself-descriptionbidsfarewelltotheoutdatedtheoreticalapproachesof"oldEurope"?thatis,toontological,holistic,ethical,andcriticalinterpretationsofsociety?andarguesthatconceptssuchas"thenation,""thesubject,"and"postmodernity"arevastlyoverrated.Intheirstead,"society"?longconsideredasuspicioustermbysociologists,oneopentoallkindsofreification?isdefinedinpurelyoperationalterms.Itisthealwaysuncertainanswertothequestionofwhatcomesnextinallareasofcommunication.,