A 2ND-ORDER CYBERNETICS OF OTHERNESS

In the spirit of second-order cybernetics, human communication is reco nceptualized by including in the process not only its theorists but al so their observed Others without whom social reality is inconceivable. This essay examines several versions of otherness, how the voices of Others survive social scientific inquiries, the dialogical spaces made available for people to build their home, and the kinds of citizenshi p encouraged. The essay draws attention to the epistemological limits of different inquiring practices and seeks to expand the range of poss ibilities for humans to see each Other.