Niklas Luhmann ranks as one of the most important sociologists and
social theorists of the twentieth century. Through his many books he
developed a highly original form of systems theory that has been hugely
influential in a wide variety of disciplines.
In Introduction to Systems Theory, Luhmann explains the key ideas of
general and sociological systems theory and supplies a wealth of
examples to illustrate his approach. The book offers a wide range of
concepts and theorems that can be applied to politics and the economy,
religion and science, art and education, organization and the family.
Moreover, Luhmann's ideas address important contemporary issues in such
diverse fields as cognitive science, ecology, and the study of social
movements.
This book provides all the necessary resources for readers to work
through the foundations of systems theory - no other work by Luhmann is
as clear and accessible as this. There is also much here that will be of
great interest to more advanced scholars and practitioners in sociology
and the social sciences.