The Non-linear Dynamics of Sociological Reflections

TL;DR

This paper explores the complex non-linear dynamics of sociological communication networks, emphasizing co-evolution, stabilization conditions, and the limits of reflexivity in understanding and modeling social discourse.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for analyzing the non-linear, co-evolving nature of communication networks and their stabilization processes in sociological theory.

Findings

Identification of conditions for system stabilization such as segmentation and self-organization

Analysis of co-variation leading to co-evolution in communication systems

Implications for modeling incommensurable discourses like paradigms

Abstract

Actors are embedded in networks of communication: the relations of the actors can be represented as the rows of a matrix, while the column vectors represent their communications. The two systems are structurally coupled in the co-variation: each action can be considered as a communication with reference to the network. Co-variation among systems if repeated over time, may lead to co-evolution. Conditions for stabilization of higher-order systems are specifiable: segmentation, stratification, reflection, differentiation, and self-organization can be distinguished in terms of developmental stages of increasingly complex networks. The sociological theory of communication occupies a central position for the clarification of the possibility of a general theory of communication, since it confronts us with the limits of reflexivity in human understanding and reflexive discourse. The implications for modelling the relations among incommensurable discourses (e.g., paradigms) are elaborated.