Reception and Legacy

Abstract

Luhmann’s theory has been widely received. It has influenced some disciplines, while others have shown a limited or hardly any interest in it. According to Luhmann, the function of sociology towards other subsystems is not to offer direct help to solve their problems, but to ‘irritate’ these systems and see how they react, as Luhmann himself did in a series of seminars and publications with the explicit intention to provoke pedagogy. The reactions of pedagogists to Luhmann’s theory ranged from taking into account and respond to it, to difficulties in understanding it. The areas of interest for pedagogy which can be developed on the basis of Luhmann’s theory are in particular social selection, educational technology, classroom interaction and the relationship between education and economy.