WHAT IS THIS: SOCIETY WITHOUT MAN?

An Introduction to Understanding Communication in Niklas Luhmann's Systems Theory

Abstract

Niklas Luhmann's theory of social systems is often criticized for promoting an ethical anti-humanism, in the sense of disregarding the importance of the subject in society, as well as an excessive conservatism, especially in relation to the legal system, in the sense of disregarding the dynamics of social change. From this context, the present work intends to contribute to demystify such ideas and avoid certain theoretical “prejudicesâ€, in order to offer tools for those who wish to enter the study of Luhmannian thought. The aim is, therefore, to make observations capable of describing the main aspects that guide the concept of communication society and, subsequently, to identify the role played by law within the highly complex and dynamic social context. Therefore, the research methodology is based on a bibliographic exploration, with a specific literature review, making it essential to approach themes dear to the aforementioned theory, such as: the "displacement" of subject to the environment/surrounding of the social system, the communication’s position as a constitutive element of society, the concept of communication and its improbability, given the challenges of contemporary society, as well as the role of the means of communication symbolically generalized.