Panoptic Reason and the Search for Totality

A Critical Assessment of the Critical Systems Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID9890888
AuthorsHaridimos Tsoukasl (Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, U.K., corresponding author)
Year1992
Volume45
Issue7
Pages637-657
Publication date1992-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Relations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-7267 • E-ISSN: 1741-282X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/001872679204500701
OpenAlexW2135875662
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited58

This paper reviews the main claims and assumptions of the critical systems perspective (CSP) and subjects them to vigorous criticism. It is argued that CSP is flawed on philosophical and sociological grounds. Philosophically, CSP is criticized for its use of ideological premises which are unsusceptible to scientific criticism, for its unrealistic assumptions concerning the alleged unitary nature of organizations and society, for an essentialist conception of human beings, and for its inability to distinguish between different types of systems research. Sociologically, CSP's inadequate conceptualization of power in organizations is discussed. CSP also espouses an apolitical conception of organizational actors, and fails to appreciate the inherently open nature of social systems which is manifested mainly through the emergence of unintended consequences. It is argued here that all the above deficiencies emanate from two fundamental premises: the panoptic status CSP accords to reason, and the totalizing nature of CSP's discourse. Both premises are criticized in this paper as indefensible

Conceptualization · Critical theory · Criticism · Epistemology · Essentialism · Ideology · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Chaos, Complexity, and Education · Complex Systems and Decision Making · Law · Organizational Learning and Leadership · Philosophy

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