As If it Were Relevant
从系统理论视角批判了“研究相关性”的传统观念，认为科学无法在应用前产生相关知识，实践必须通过“仿佛相关”的假设来整合科学知识。
This article discusses the concept of research relevance from a systems theoretical perspective. Based on the claim that many scholars still think of relevance as something that can be achieved and enhanced by choosing the “right” measures (e.g., “user-friendly” writing style), the authors argue that such a perspective obscures the self-referential status of “science” and “practice” as social systems in society. Our systems theoretical discussion, which is based on the work of German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, shows that, strictly speaking, science cannot produce relevant knowledge prior to application. Instead, practice has to make scientific knowledge relevant by incorporating it into the specific logic of its system. We argue that such an integration of knowledge is only possible by first acting as if the offered knowledge were relevant and to then modify and extend it according to the idiosyncrasies of the system. We characterize these as-if assumptions as fictions and show their significance for rethinking the concept of relevance.