The Emerging Consensus in Social Systems Theory
In The Emerging Consensus of Social Systems Theory Bausch summarizes the works of over 30 major systemic theorists. He then goes on to show the converging areas of consensus among these out-standing thinkers. Bausch categorizes the social aspects of curre
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The Emerging Consensus in Social Systems Theory
Kenneth C. Bausch Research Director/CEO Ashley Montagu Institute Los Angeles, California Research Fellow and Advisor CWA Ltd Paoli, Pennsylvania
Springer Science+Business Media, L L C
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bausch, Kenneth C , 1936The emerging consensus in social systems theory/Kenneth C. Bausch, p. cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4613-5468-0 ISBN 978-1-4615-1263-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4615-1263-9 1. Social systems—Philosophy. 2. Systems theory. I. Title. HM701.B38 2001 306'.01—dc21 00-067109
If you find errors, especially misstatements of fact or mistakes of interpretation, please inform the author: Ken Bausch, Ph.D. Ongoing Emergence 5430 Bannergate Drive Atlanta, GA 30022 770-849-0891 [email protected] fax 707-929-1114
ISBN 978-1-4613-5468-0 ©2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York in 2001 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2001 http:/www. wkap.nl/ 10
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A C L P record for this book is available from the Library of Congress All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher.
Dedicated to the memory of
Carl and Pearl Bausch
FOREWORD The acceleration of contemporary culture wreaks havoc on the traditional standards, structures, and stories that gave meaning to our lives in earlier times. It demands decisions and actions of us that do not fit old paradigms and do not wait for philosophical reflection. In our "postmodern" culture, we lack generally accepted "metanarratives" that would place our lives and decisions in meaningful contexts. In earlier periods of history, we were at home in our traditions. We dwelled in religious, ethnocentric and scientific worldviews that defined our place in the world. Stories of enlightenment and progress fueled our imaginations well into the 20 th century. We gloried in the accomplishments of Western civilization. We proclaimed the superiority of our democracy, science, and capitalism. The barbarity of the Second World War radically challenged this faith in our enlightenment, especially in Europe. Thinkers, such as Jean Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Theodor Adorno, brought to print the dark underbelly of our civilization. Adorno expressed this disillusion i~ a remarkable essay, "After Auschwitz," that declared the Enlightenment to be dead. Today, the old stories are passe. Old verities manifest themselves as quaint, even sinister, remnants of past hubris. Ethnocentricity grudgingly, often violently, yields to multiculturism. We lack accepted narratives (other than unbridled self-interest) that would give context to our lives. We do not want to go back, but we miss the support that cultural meaning used to give us. We need a meaningful new cultural n
