Moral communication observed with social systems theory. An introduction

Abstract

Purpose

The present article pertains to recent advances in social systems theoretical analyses of moral communication.

Design/methodology/approach

An introduction to basic concepts and requirements for systems-theoretical approaches to morality and communication is provided, as is an introduction to 14 contributions to a pertinent special issue of Kybernetes.

Findings

The review of these 14 cases suggests that social systems theory enables researchers to study moral communication without necessarily performing it.

Originality/value

This article reappraises and challenges Niklas Luhmann's occasionally distanced attitude to morality, which has occasionally been understood as a form of moral communication itself.

Citation

Laursen, K.B., Harste, G. and Roth, S. (2022), "Moral communication observed with social systems theory. An introduction", Kybernetes, Vol. 51 No. 5, pp. 1653-1665. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-01-2022-0059