Double Contingency Theory

The leading sociology scholars Talcott Parsons and Niklas Luhmann shared their same concern of social systems in general and double contingency in particular. In his work "Soziale Systeme: Grundriß einer allgemeinen Theorie" (1984), translated in to English and published under the name "Social Systems" (1995), Luhmann did elucidate the notion of double contingency and its divisions, in which he presented his point of view toward them in the referential and comparative relation to Parsons '. The third chapter of the book, as its name, provides us with insights into double contingency, that is to say the system, the complexity, the self-reference and the meaning, thereby answers the questions of social systems formation in the most fundamental

However, before answering the question how it happens, we first look at the double contingency and its complexity, demonstrated via the "black boxes".
The basic situation of double contingency is then simple: two black boxes, by whatever accident, come to have dealings with one another. Each determines its own behaviour by complex self-referential operations within its own boundaries. (Luhmann, 1995:

Luhmann stated that, social systems emerge, however, through (and only through) the fact that both partners experience double contingency and that the indeterminability of such a situation for both partners in any activity that then takes place possess significance (1995: 108). Social systems are built on the communications, and communications are the only way to solve the problems of double contingency. Therefore, whenever double contingency occurs, and it actually happens all the time so to say, the communication is necessary to resolve, causing the new social system to emerge. Any action that the actors make is "selection attributed to the system" and "may be rationalised as choice among alternatives or motives and expectation gained within what is incalculable". Indeed, if A could calculate B, A would have options to the next move and A choose the most appropriated one according to him, which is the precondition for B. In contrary, when A thought that B is incalculable, he would start growing some anticipations of B, what B would say, how B would react. This process go reciprocally, and the selections that A and B make accumulate and constitute the system. In accordance with the modern individualism and action theory, "the actor 's own advantage or his goals" roots the system built on double contingency, which means once and only once the actor is satisfied with the benefits he