Contingency Theoretical Functionalism and the Problem of Functional Differentiation

摘要: The approximately 150-year-old functionalistic way of thinking has always had a very dizzy position in sociology. On the one hand, since birth discipline, functionalism been an essential part sociological thinking. This holds true especially for analysis macro level phenomena, including society as whole with its structural characteristics and developmental tendencies. other hand also target harsh criticism, kind mirror against which theoretical traditions have formulated their specific viewpoints sharpened arsenals. One reason criticism characteristic theories, namely, that Comte’s theorizing, biology-based evolutionary physiological analogies thought structures important factor these theories. is still case, demonstrated by theories from Talcott Parsons (Henderson, 1928:17), blood circulation stabilizing mechanisms) to Niklas Luhmann (Varela Maturana (1980), self-organizing systems), search inspiration partly biological In addition, most discussion concerning functional method going on ‘interfaces’ biology sociology (see, example, Ariew, et al., 2002).