On the computer again to rough draft my understanding of Niklas Luhmann's social systems theory so far. Luhmann's social theory is unlike any social theory I have ever seen or conceived of though that really isn't saying much since I'm not a sociologist nor was I much of a social butterfly to begin with. It seems like functional differentiation is a hallmark, or a contingency, of contemporary human societies. It seems like functional differentiation attempts to maintain itself over time, if we take functional differentiation to be its own supersystem or parasystemic force. It also seems like the breakdown in functional differentiation, either by permanent functional coupling of diverse social systems or systems that totalitize other systems, is a breakdown of society itself. Most importantly, functionally differentiated societies have no center; it is inappropriate, or outdated, to assume that one system can control all the other systems. Certain systems may observe better than other systems but all systems, at some time in their differentiation, do observe. The degree of functional differentiation in a system is equivalent to its capacity to communicate; that is, to self-organize and maintain codes, contingencies, and communicative standards that persist into the next moment. The word "communication" in the quote, "Only communication can communicate" refers to communicating systems; of which all social systems are. Operational closure is a co-requisite of communication, as operational closure "sharpens" the efficacy and form of transmitted information under that boundary. Taking a step back, Luhmann's theory does not try to be prescriptive or even speculative; it was a descriptive look at the modern society that Luhmann very much was part of.
"[Growing up] is hard and nobody understands." // https://www.homestuck.com/story/2391