Introduction to Systems Theory

6 recensioni per Introduction to Systems Theory

1. 

   Edoardo Angeloni – Settembre 3, 2024

   A great analysis about the modern State.
   The autor is a strong expert of systemic analysis. His great knowledge of philosophy allows him to consider several aspects of the actual society. The first reference is Kant. Nevertheless the description of institutions is objective, in the sense of a certain coldness and critical distance, the ethics is always important. Some times a research of this type produces paradox. Then Luhmann uses his competence so that we can be able to avoid those errors.

2. 

   Thomas Mavrofides – Settembre 3, 2024

   For anyone interested in Niklas Luhmann’s theory, this transcription of 13 lectures (a full semester) by himself, is a must. Don’t get too excited though: ‘Social Systems’ and the two-volumes ‘Theory of Society’, remain indispensable.

3. 

   DRPR – Settembre 3, 2024

   … und auf die Luhmannsche Systemtheorie mit ihrem spezifisch-narzisstischen Vokabular trifft dies wohl ganz besonders zu. Insofern ist diese kompetente Übersetzung schon als Ergänzung zur deutschsprachigen Vorlesung für die Verfertigung englischsprachiger Texte nützlich.

4. 

   SJ Cowan – Settembre 3, 2024

   This review is mostly a comment I left on the 1 star review for the work. I thought that I should add it as a review, because I loved this book as an introduction to systems theory.If you are interested in systems, this is a great place to start. Luhmann walks through the processes topic by topic. Yes, he is not the most exciting person to read, but if you know that before you start then you’ll be prepared with the patience necessary for understanding the concepts. The book is the transcript of a class that Luhmann taught in 1992 so Luhmann’s voice is more conversational and clear than one might expect. He also has a very good sense of humor throughout the work…though his humor is slight, it is loaded with irony–this is something that I loved about the book because I kept forgetting that he might make a joke or light-hearted comment and they kept creeping up.Luhmann presents in the first section of the book–particularly lecture 4 and 5–a thorough, clear, and detailed account of his view of systems theory. While Luhmann does say things that may be hard to concretely grasp upon the initial encounters such as, “a system is defined by a boundary between itself and its environment,” he qualifies such statements at length and reveals the subtly necessary in understanding the complexity of a system. It is not that Luhmann is trying to make his theory of systems as vague as possible in order to successfully create a “theory of everything”, but that what he is saying is complicated and has to be explained from multiple angles in order to be properly taught and properly understood.His two lectures on Time and Meaning are both very impressive as well. The way he spells out how systems are a way of reducing complexity immediately shifted my perspective in how I can view the things, actions, and social relationships in the world.Reductive accounts of systems and their emergent qualities may be more satisfactory to a casual reader, but an approach is misguided from its origins, and Luhmann recognizes this: systems are made of multifaceted relationships that rely on their historical development, making it impossible to separate components without losing information about their purpose, function, or relationships to other systems. Much like it is impossible to satisfactorily describe a work of art to someone blind, fully recounting complexity and the processes of emergence would involve embodying the process itself. …This might be why the epigraph to his Theory of Society is a quote that says, “that which cannot be conceived through anything else must be conceived through itself.”Attached at the end of the work is a helpful list of suggested readings based on the lecture topics.Other good introductions to Luhmann’s work are Moeller’s short “The Radical Luhmann” or maybe Luhmann’s own “The Reality of the Mass Media”ENJOY

5. 

   kogonil – Settembre 3, 2024

   ルーマンの講義録が英訳されました。出るとは聞いてたけれども2年待たされました。ようやく。原著は、Dirk Baecker 編集による講義録。Einfhrung in die Systemtheorie, Heidelberg, Carl-Auer-System, 2002日本語訳は、土方透監訳『システム理論入門』新泉社（2007）Hans-Georg Moeller氏が、ルーマンって読みにくいよねという段で、「最初に読むべき、しかも判読可能な一冊」とか注で特記してましたけど、わりと賛成。その理由は次のとおり。（1）読みやすい。修飾関係がわりと入り組んでいるけれど、なんか講義録っぽい感じが上手に再現されている（風）。ドイツ語に四苦八苦してる方（私）は、対照させれば、ドイツ語のお勉強にもなるかも。（2）巻末に、その先の読書を案内するセクションが設けられている。ルーマンの著作や論文が、章立てに応じて、リスト化されてる。（3）原注に、訳者のコメントが時々入っていて、けっこう面白い。（4）冒頭に訳者による‘System-Autopoiesis-Form: An Introduction to Luhmann’s Introduction to System Theory’という論考が追加されてる。ルーマンが理論構築にあたって依拠・対峙した論者を順に追ったもの。システム理論という選択にあたってパーソンズに依拠し、パーソンズにあった不備を補うためにマトゥラーナとバレラに依拠してオートポイエーシスの概念を導入し、マトゥラーナとバレラの還元主義に対峙するところから、スペンサー・ブラウンの形式の法則による差異としてのシステムの考え方を導入した・・・という流れを簡潔に論述したもの。個人的には、パーソンズ以外については非常に留保中ながら、ルーマンの入り組んだ議論を追うには、有用かも。

6. 

   Christopher – Settembre 3, 2024

   This is a very well written and easily understandable book that is becoming more & more important from the scale of our individual lives to the wider society itself