Functional explanations

pp. 35-47

in: Carsten Klingemann, Michael Neumann, Ilja Srubar, Karl-Siegbert Rehberg (eds), Jahrbuch für Soziologiegeschichte 1995, Wiesbaden, Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 1999

Abstract

This essay examins the nature of information to be gained about events which are relatively indeterminate and whose efficient causes are, therefore, not ascertainable. Functional explanations map the limits of indeterminacy of such events. Pragmatic arguments are presented in favor of treating functions as dependency relations whose ensemble constitutes a social system. A limited repertoire of functions is presented for the construction of system models of empirical relevance.