The public discussions about the ecological conditions of the social cohabit and of its relation to the social system and its environment did grow during the last 30 years. The community is affected by what they coursed in the environment. “I write out of a sense of alarm” is what already was said and that is what describes the situation. The consumption of natural resources, the increasing dependence from self created substitutes, the reduction of the diversity of species / biodiversity as a requirement for evolution, pollution, the overpopulation of the earth is an always present subject of matter. But what could LuhmannsSystemtheoriein this context do for or against it? With the help of this theory this essay will evaluate that the environment always takes part and nothing happens without it; this is self-evident. Furthermore it will analyse that an “absolute environment” does not exist. The view of what environment is depends on the system that is observing the environment. The environment is always changing and a main part of every evolution a system is doing.
This will be illustrated on Geothes Faust II, act 5. In this peace Faust is a unsatisfied investigator who is desperate of his situation. Because of this he promises the devil Mephisto (or Mephistopheles) his soul if he could manage to take him out of his unsatisfied situation. In part II, act 5 Faust´s helpers burn down an old married couple house and a church. The couple, Philemon and Baucis, and their guest, a wanderer, died in the fire. Faust is not pleased but not angry about it as well. There old house and the church disturbed his plan to build up a new modern complex. To get land out of the sea he violates nature by building up a bank for unpropertied people. The dwellers from now on live in danger. Faust is satisfied and he died while Mephisto saying that nothing in the whole world would make any sense. Because LuhmannsSystemtheoriedemands to have a universal validity3, it must be possible to illustrate his understanding of the environment at the example of this peace of literature.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- I. Environment and Society
- II. System Theory and the Environment
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay examines the relationship between the environment and society, using Niklas Luhmann's system theory as a lens. It analyzes how Luhmann's theory can be applied to understanding the societal desire to control and subdue nature, using Goethe's Faust as a case study.
- The social construction of the environment
- The role of the observer in constructing reality
- The relationship between systems and their environments
- The limitations of objective knowledge of the environment
- The implications of Luhmann's system theory for understanding environmental issues
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- I. Environment and Society: This chapter examines the growing concern about the ecological conditions of our planet and the impact of human activity on the environment. It highlights the increasing dependence on artificial substitutes and the consequences of resource depletion, pollution, and overpopulation. The chapter sets the stage for applying Luhmann's system theory to understand the complex relationship between society and its environment.
- II. System Theory and the Environment: This chapter delves into Luhmann's system theory and its implications for understanding the environment. It explores the concept of the environment as a social construction, emphasizing the role of the observer in shaping our perception of reality. The chapter argues that the environment is not a static entity but rather a constantly changing and dynamic element that interacts with systems. The discussion draws on Goethe's Faust II, act 5, to illustrate how different systems perceive the environment in distinct ways.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on Niklas Luhmann's system theory, social construction of the environment, observer perspective, system-environment relations, and the application of these concepts to literary analysis, specifically using Goethe's Faust as a case study.
- Quote paper
- Stephanie Thanheiser (Author), 2007, Luhmanns "Systemtheorie" and his understanding of the environment at the example of Goethes "Faust II, act 5", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/69628
