Revija za sociologiju, Vol. 4 No. 1, 1974.
Pregledni rad
The Society and the Societal Community as an Open System
Zvonko Lerotić
; Fakultet političkih nauka, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Jugoslavija
Sažetak
The purpose of the paper is to point out the general differentiation within the general theory of systems which took place after new discoveries in the realm of open systems theory, elaborated by Ludwig von Bertalanffy. Namely the cybernetic system which is of great value in explaining the system of managing and communication in live and social systems, lacks the elements that would allow understanding the dynamic and social revolutionary processes. The structure of cybernetic system does not permit this, as it is based on the theory of balance and the classical stimulus-response pattern. The open system, as conceived by Bertalanffy, contributes to the social sciences a specific, isomorph categorial apparatus which could be successfully applied to the interpretation, even explanation of the creative processes, dynamic social changes and revolutionary transformations of the basic social variables. In that sense two key concepts should be stressed: irreversible processes and equifinality. These concepts give the insight into the structural modeling of the society and its subsystems, especially political subsystem, as they start from the position of the unbalanced system and negative entropy. The main distinctive feature of the open system in comparison to the cybernetic model is the irreversibility of the elements' action, and the action starting and staying within the system. The open system action is thus immanent and that of the cybernetic model is not. Alongside the open system theory we also consider the David Easton's system model as indispensable for explanation of the political life and processes. Namely, the Easton's model points out the essential variables of the political system as determining the persistence and the 'transition of the political groups, regimes or communes.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
174691
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.3.1974.
Posjeta: 1.209 *