What do the painter Gustave Moreau, one of the founders of symbolism in painting, and Niklas Luhmann, one of the main proponents of complex systems theory in sociology, have in common? At first glance, they come from completely different epistemes and symbolic worlds. Moreau paints mystical symbols that seem to freeze living and emotional processes beyond our capacity to recognise and understand. Luhmann tries to find a sociological theory to describe analogous experiences in a rational scientific language: the complex of what is beyond our categorical representation. Moreau’s paintings could inspire Luhmann to explore the new reality instead of rejecting it and attributing it to the occult. On the contrary, Luhmann’s theory can hardly be influenced by the contemporary new symbolism, but it is true that contemporary speculative philosophy tries to link the two tendencies. Habermas and Honneth have also tried to emphasise the reciprocal nature of the influence of mysticism, culture and science.