This philosophy was developed together with notions of machines and mechanics already in the 17th century. It will have to change when we leave industrial society behind. We have to realise that the social sciences were established, in the midst of the industrial revolution, to explain that revolution, as theories of modernisation and industrialisation. As we leave industrial society behind, there will be need for a more fundamental rethinking of the conceptual and theoretical frameworks of the social sciences. In informatics, we have to get rid of systems thinking, and we have to develop new ways of thinking about technology.
Postmodern sociology tends to stress the lightness of being.
Life in welfare society has lost the stability it had on the farm and in the factory. Social relations turn into casual affairs, organizations become flexible organizing. Rather than fulfilling one's destiny or pursuing a career, posmodern beings are waiting for opportunity to knock. Life is a series of auditions, tests, a cocktail-party. Sociology could build on a well tested understanding of machine technology.