Beyond Coherence

Much has happened since the 1960s and 1970s when the idea of self-organization emerged and began to alter our conceptions of human nature, of social organization, and of a social science that had heretofore been wedded to linear causal explanations. The experience that systems could organize themselves has been revolutionary and constitutes a paradigm shift that is still ongoing. In the following, I will (A) distinguish between indigenously and self-organizing systems, (B) consider autopoiesis as a biological step towards selfhood, (C) propose a way to distinguish selves and Others, and, based on this, (D) suggest self-organization to be a social phenomenon. As the notion of self-organization reconceptualizes social organization and human experience, I will close with (E), suggestions for further work on self-organization. Disciplines Communication | Social and Behavioral Sciences This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/240 Manuscript published in Management Communication Quarterly 13.1:135-145, 1999. Beyond Coherence i Klaus Krippendorff Annenberg School for Communication University of Pennsylvania [email protected] Much has happened since the 1960s and 1970s when the idea of self-organization emerged and began to alter our conceptions of human nature, of social organization, and of a social science that had heretofore been wedded to linear causal explanations. The experience that systems could organize themselves has been revolutionary and constitutes a paradigm shift that is still ongoing. In the following, I will (A) distinguish between indigenously and self-organizing systems, (B) consider autopoiesis as a biological step towards selfhood, (C) propose a way to distinguish selves and Others, and, based on this, (D) suggest self-organization to be a social phenomenon. As the notion of self-organization reconceptualizes social organization and human experience, I will close with (E), suggestions for further work on self-organization. Indigenously Organizing versus Self-organizing Systems Among the phenomena that have been identified as self-organizing (Ashby, 1947; Yovits & Cameron, 1960; Foerster & Zopf, 1962; Maruyama, 1963; Varela, 1979; Ulrich & Probst 1984; Prigogine & Stengers, 1984; Eigen, 1988; Haken, 1988, Paslack, 1991) are:  The replicable unfolding of unpredictable forms of organization, whether they are determined by recursive functions (fractals), the structural properties of a system’s components (crystal growth), a combination of both (artificial life simulated on a computer), or by certain controlling parts of a larger system (DNA within living organisms).  Statistically unusual yet sustainable forms of coordination (laser light, tornados).  The spontaneous emergence of organization resulting from interactions among already organized parts (social organization, beehives, for a rudimentary example, or crowds).