Every society has to solve economic problems. In modern society this occurs with the help of a differentiated economic system. In spite of all its interdependencies and causal links, which tend to increase due to functional differentiation of society, economic system operates as an "autopoietic" subsystem under functional autonomy. This system is closed by its recursive circularity. It consists of payments that are based on other payments and that allow further payments. In this sense, the elements of the system are produced by the elements of the system and the environment of the system contains no elements of that type. Economic system is at the same time an open system since its operations are adapted to the needs of its social and human environment, and because its function consists of ensuring the prospect that future demands will be satisfied in a nearby future. In this sense the closeness of the system is the condition for its openness and vice versa. This article outlines some consequences of this theoretical approach.
Keywords:
Social Systems Theory, Functional Differentiation, Economy, Autopoiesis, Self-Reference
Author Biography
Niklas Luhmann, Universidad de Bielefeld
Facultad de Sociología, Universidad de Bielefeld, Alemania
Luhmann, N. (2013). The Economy of Society as an Autopoietic System. MAD, (29), 1–25. Retrieved from https://revistaderechoambiental.uchile.cl/index.php/RMAD/article/view/27342
