Chaos-theoretical implications of Luhmann’s theory of social systems

The article is devoted to the question of the sociological interpretation of chaos theory. Such an interpretation is necessary to overcome the distance between technical and humanitarian knowledge. A methodological transition from the general scientific level of understanding the phenomenon of chaos to the sociological level of its measurement is accomplished by linking sociological and chaos-theoretical categories.
The article is divided into two main sections:
- the first section will provide a brief introduction to chaos theory and explain the concept of “deterministic chaos”,
- the second section contains a new overview of the possible applications of chaos theory in the social sciences.
The well-founded methodological basis for the applications was created by the famous German sociologist Niklas Luhmann. As part of his theory of social systems, N. Luhmann dealt with the search for the parameters of order in communicative processes. This question is posed by N. Luhmann in his work “Social Systems” (1984). He uses a semiotic approach to communication in order to make chaos theory applicable in the social sciences and to be able to offer the appropriate methodological tools.
With the binary coding of all possible statements as simple “yes/no differences”, Luhmann reformulates the general concept of signs by speaking of the difference between identity and difference. The chaos dynamics of communicative potential are transformed into stable communication processes through the use of signs.