The Art Formula as a Systemic-Communicative Extension of Luhmann, Habermas and Adorno

ABSTRACT This study develops the art formula as a systemic-communicative extension of three central theoretical frameworks of twentieth-century social and cultural theory: Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory, Jürgen Habermas’ theory of communicative action, and Theodor W. Adorno’s aesthetic theory. While these approaches offer powerful but partially incompatible models for understanding society, communication and art, they remain conceptually separated with regard to observation, subjectivity, innovation and social evolution. Building on Holistic Information Theory (HIT), the art formula (innovation = art) is introduced as an evolutionary information model that makes creative innovation observable, communicable and structurally comparable. It extends Luhmann’s concept of second-order observation toward higher-order observation, integrates Habermas’ normative concept of participation beyond linguistic discourse, and renders Adorno’s notion of aesthetic truth operational without neutralising its critical and negative dimension. By visually coding innovation as new information, the art formula establishes a transdisciplinary bridge between system, lifeworld and aesthetic autonomy. The study argues that art can be understood as an evolutionary information process that simultaneously affects consciousness, social communication and cultural development. In this sense, the art formula provides a meta-theoretical framework for analysing art not only as expression or critique, but as a measurable driver of social and cognitive evolution.