Self-referential

Self-referential are those operations that take the system itself as their point of reference (Luhmann 1987: 45ff). It is self-reference that determines the selection of a system’s observation, which is why it is not visible to the system itself (Luhmann 1997/1: 77ff). The system reproduces itself through successive recursive connections (Luhmann 1997/2: 92ff), through which it continuously inscribes the difference to itself. It is therefore not a static condition.

Self-reference does not constitute the isolation of a system from its environment; rather, it is the prerequisite for the environment to be processed as such by a system (Foerster 2003: 211ff; Luhmann 1997/2: 92ff).

Foerster, Heinz von (2003). Understanding Understanding: Essays on Cybernetics and Cognition. New York: Springer.

Luhmann, Niklas (1987). Social Systems: Outline of a General Theory. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.

Luhmann, Niklas (1997). The Society of Society. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp.