社会学的現象学としての社会システム理論

抄録

　The aim of this paper is to point out that communication is intentional in structure (communication is always the communication of something) and to address Niklas Luhmann's theory of social systems, "Sociological Phenomenology." Comparable to consciousnesses, social systems should be regarded not as choses (things) but as irreducible subjects. Through the intentionality of communication, social systems observe their own environments. And in contrast with conscious phenomena, that which is communicated can be called "social phenomena."
　Social systems theory has been conventionally regarded as being in opposition to the thinking of the phenomenological school. However, by directing our attention to the intentionality of communication, the view of phenomenology and phenomenological sociology will be applicable to social systems theory in the sense of sociologizing phenomenology (not of phenomenologizing sociology). This means a turn from ontology to epistemology in social systems theory whereby social systems theory sees social systems not as things but as subjects or observers.
　Such a theory design enables us to resolve the confrontational dichotomies inherent to sociological theories, such as subjectivism/objectivism, individualism/collectivism and micro/macro. If not only consciousness but also social systems are subjects in the world, many theoretical views which, thus far, have been limited to the frame of the philosophy of consciousness and of action theory will now be applicable to social systems as well.This opens up new possibilities for a general theory of sociology.