Niklas Luhmann－當代社會理論重要人物之一。從一開始聽到、學到社會學，一直到現在，你認為「社會」是什麼？是個人的加總，是結構，是行動，還是一個抽象無可名狀的空間？Luhmann給的答案是，社會是社會系統的三個形式之一，另外兩個形式是組織和互動。過去，我們很習慣地認為，組織和互動是社會的形式，但是，在Luhmann的理論中，這三個形式以簡單到複雜的方式，描述了社會系統的存在，互動是最單純的社會系統，組織次之，而社會則是最複雜的社會系統。由此開展，我們已經可以注意到Luhmann的理論企圖，他試著以「社會系統」這個再更抽象一點的概念，來涵括社會學中常談的互動和組織，以及已經視之為理所當然、很少談到的社會。光就他對於社會二字的反思性，就足以讓Luhmann與其他的社會學家區別開來，這也是我認為他的理論值得一唸的原因。

Niklas Luhmann - one of the important figures in contemporary social theory. From the first time you heard and learned sociology until now, what do you think "society" is? Is it the sum of individuals, a structure, an action, or an abstract and nameless space? The answer given by Luhmann is that society is one of the three forms of social systems, the other two being organization and interaction. In the past, we were accustomed to thinking that organization and interaction were forms of society. However, in Luhmann's theory, these three forms describe the existence of social systems in simple to complex ways. Interaction is the simplest social system, organization comes second, and society is the most complex social system. Starting from this, we can already notice Luhmann's theoretical attempt. He tried to use the more abstract concept of "social system" to cover the interactions and organizations that are often talked about in sociology, as well as the society that has been taken for granted and rarely talked about. His reflective nature on the word society alone is enough to distinguish Luhmann from other sociologists, which is why I think his theory is worth remembering.

課程讀本：（擇一）
1.Margot Berghaus，2016，《魯曼一點通：系統理論導引》，張錦惠譯，台北：暖暖。
2.Georg Kneer / Armin Nassehi，2000，《盧曼社會系統理論導引》，魯貴顯譯，台北：巨流。

Course Readings: (Choose one)
1. Margot Berghaus, 2016, "Luhmann's Easy Access: A Guide to System Theory", translated by Zhang Jinhui, Taipei: Nuannuan.
2. Georg Kneer/Armin Nassehi, 2000, "Introduction to Luhmann's Social System Theory", translated by Lu Guixian, Taipei: Juliu.