Bridging The Micro–Macro Divide: A New Basis For Social Science  

Oleh:

Kay, Robert ; Goldspink, Chris

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Human Relations vol. 57 no. 5 (May 2004), page 597–618.
Topik: autopoiesis; complexity theory; critical realism; social science; social systems; sociology

Isi artikel

A ‘pervasive’ problem in the social sciences, referred to as the ‘microto- macro problem’ concerns our capacity to explain the relationship between the constitutive elements of social systems (people) and emergent phenomena resulting from their interaction (i.e. organizations, societies, economies). Without a capacity to explain this relationship there is, in effect, no substantive theory of sociality. In this article, we explore the potential of a synthesis between autopoietic and complexity theory for understanding social systems in a way that addresses this issue. It is argued that autopoietic theory provides a basis for understanding the characteristics of the microlevel agents that make up social systems – human individuals, whereas complexity theory provides a basis for understanding how these characteristics influence the range and type of macro-level phenomena that arise from their interaction. The synthesis proposed here provides the basis for a theory of sociality that deals consistently with the relationship between the micro- and macro-levels of social phenomena and their ontological status. This approach has the potential to re-unite current scientific oppositions and avoid unnecessary pluralism within social science.

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