The Complexity of Self-reference.: A Critical Evaluation of Luhmann's Theory of Social Systems

The paper presents the basic elements of Niklas Luhmann’s theory of social systems and shows that his theories follow quite naturally from the problem of the reproduction of social systems. The subsequent feature of the self-referentiality of social systems is discussed against the theory of hierarchical loops, as developed in particular by Robert Rosen. It will be shown that Rosen’s theory is more general than Luhmann’s. The nature of anticipatory systems and the problem of conflict are used as testing grounds to verify some interesting articulations of the general theory of hierarchical loops.