“System – Autopoiesis – Form: an Introduction to Luhmann’s Introduction to Systems Theory” in. LUHMANN, Niklas

Abstract

This text is the preface that Peter Gilgen wrote for his translation for the English-speaking public, published by Polity Press. Niklas Luhmann's original text, written in German, came from a posthumous organization of notes from a course he delivered at the University of Bielefeld (Germany) between 1991 and 1992. These original notes were compiled and edited in 2002 by Carl-Auer-Systeme Verlag. The English-language edition, edited by Dick Baecker and translated by Peter Gilgen, appeared in 2013. The preface written by Gilgen for the aforementioned British edition traces a paradigm shift in Luhmannian studies, which seeks to highlight autopoiesis as a formal ontological category in its own right – and not just a reception transferred directly from biology. We are grateful to Professor Peter Gilgen and Polity Press for allowing this translation to be possible.