Symbol and communication - Towards a concept of symbolic communication based on the general theory of social systems

Abstract

In this paper we examine the general connection between symbol and communication in Niklas Luhmann's General Theory of Social Systems and problematize this connection in order to elaborate a general concept of symbolic communication based on this approach. This aim in mind, we analyse the possibilities afforded by such an elaboration, opting to extend the concept of symbolically generalized communication media (SGCM) through its orientation towards the improbability of acceptance. We advance the hypothesis that, in reference to the improbability of acceptance, communication stylizes the expectations of acceptability by introducing symbols and symbolizations. The resulting schema is then projected onto the SGCM theory, enabling a strong extension of the latter.