Algunas precisiones sobre el concepto de imaginarios sociales

Abstract

The term ‘Imaginary’ has been academically in use for many years, so is now possible to try a provisional clarification of its concept. If the question is to try understanding what we do, what is around us and why, we must face necessarily the multiple processes of construction of reality. In a first section, we are going to deal with the most spontaneous and immediate definitions. Secondly, we go further analyzing some Marxist definitions. Third, we put under consideration some definitions from Semantics, and finally, we end with a more extensive exposition of our own criteria: i.e.: a systemic and cybernetic approach, which departs from the analysis of ‘complexity’ and the taking of decisions as a way of selection among possibilities. We resort to the communicative code ‘relevance/opacity’ as our main axis of differentiation.