Formas de autoorientación de la sociedad

Abstract

The article uncovers the paradoxical relation between differentiation, interdependence and operational closure of social systems in modern society, and how this paradox increases the expectations for political intervention, on the one hand, and for societal self-steering of autonomous systems, on the other. Since hierarchy is not an option as an overarching principle of societal guidance, the question arises as to how is still possible to build a social order that reconciles autonomy and interdependence. The article argues that three complex mechanisms rise to this challenge: reflexivity as civilization of self-reference, contextual intervention as civilization of power, and systemic discourses as improvement of informational connectivity. With several empirical illustrations, the article offers an alternative for societal guidance between hierarchical control and the muddling-through scenario.