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Philosophy of the Social Sciences
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Complexity Theory, Systems Theory, and Multiple Intersecting Social Inequalities

Sylvia Walby

Lancaster University

This article contributes to the revision of the concept of system in social theory using complexity theory. The old concept of social system is widely discredited; a new concept of social system can more adequately constitute an explanatory framework. Complexity theory offers the toolkit needed for this paradigm shift in social theory. The route taken is not via Luhmann, but rather the insights of complexity theorists in the sciences are applied to the tradition of social theory inspired by Marx, Weber, and Simmel. The article contributes to the theorization of intersectionality in social theory as well as to the philosophy of social science. It addresses the challenge of theorizing the intersection of multiple complex social inequalities, exploring the various alternative approaches, before rethinking the concept of social system. It investigates and applies, for the first time, the implications of complexity theory for the analysis of multiple intersecting social inequalities.

Key Words: complexity theory • inequality • intersectionality • social theory

Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Vol. 37, No. 4, 449-470 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0048393107307663
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