John E. LaMuth M.S.
Private Practice Counselor
P.O. Box 1004, Lucerne Valley, CA - USA
A new system of ethical inquiry, taking its foundations in
the intrinsic contrast of virtue and vice, focuses upon the ethical
values pioneered in Classical Greek Philosophy, aug-mented by
Aristotle's concept of the "vices of defect." This new
theoretical system arises as a direct consequence of the well-established
field of the Systems Sciences, borrowing the crucial concept of
the metaperspective (a higher-order perspective upon the viewpoint
held by another): ultimately extending to a potential 10th-order
level of meta-abstraction. The higher virtues, values, and ideals
collectively occur as subsets within this hierarchy of metaperspectives,
each more abstract listing building directly upon that which it
super-sedes.
Take, for example, the cardinal virtues (prudence-justice-temperance-fortitude),
the theo-logical virtues (faith-hope-charity-decency), and the
classical Greek values (beauty-truth-goodness-wisdom). Each of
these traditional ethical groupings is further subdivided into
a complex of four subordinate terms, allowing for precise, point-for-point
stacking in this hierarchy of metaperspectives: partially reproduced
in the table immediately below:
GLORY------PRUDENCE PROVIDENCE--FAITH GRACE--BEAUTY TRANQUILITY--ECSTASY
HONOR-------JUSTICE LIBERTY------HOPE FREE WILL---TRUTH EQUALITY----BLISS
DIGNITY--TEMPERANCE CIVILITY---CHARITY MAGNANIMITY-GOODNESS LOVE--------JOY
INTEGRITY--FORTITUDE AUSTERITY--DECENCY EQUANIMITY---WISDOM PEACE---HARMONY
Alexander Laszlo, Ph.D.
Syntony Quest
1761 Vallejo Street, Suite 302
San Francisco, CA 94123-5029
USA
alexander@syntonyquest.org
Science, and with it our understanding of evolutionary processes, is itself undergoing evolution. The evolutionary framework still most frequently used by the general public to describe and guide processes of societal development is erroneously grounded in Darwinian perspectives or, at the very least, draws facile analogies from biological evolution. The present inquiry incorporates fresh insights on the general systemic nature of developmental dynamics from the most recent advances in the transdisciplinary realm of the sciences of complexity (e.g., general evolution theory, cybernetics, information and communication theory, chaos theory, dynamical systems theory, and nonequilibrium thermodynamics). The description of the evolutionary trajectory of complex dynamical systems as irreversible, periodically chaotic, and strongly nonlinear agrees with certain features of the historical processes of societal development. But there are additional features of the evolutionary dynamic of natural systems that are seldom portrayed as part of human developmental deportment. These features include elements such as the convergence of existing systems at progressively higher levels of organization, the increasingly efficient utilization of environmental energy, and the complexification of system structures in states that are progressively further removed from chemical and thermodynamic equilibria. The sciences of complexity offer insight into the laws and dynamics that govern the evolution of complex systems across a variety of disciplinary areas of investigation. Through a study of the isomorphisms across disciplinary constructs in the theoretical analyses of the principles governing the evolution of human societies, it is possible to enrich the account of developmental dynamics at the socio-civilizational level. Such an account would further our understanding of the phenomenon of societal development and provide the means for the purposeful guidance of this phenomenon in accordance with general evolutionary principles. This paper sets forth the type of considerations, and outlines a general research agenda, for inquiry toward an operational model of the evolutionary development of social systems.
Keywords: Societal development, evolution, systems design, syntony, sustainability.
Kathia Castro Laszlo, Ph.D.
Syntony Quest and
The Graduate School of Business Administration & Leadership
(EGADE), ITESM
Santiago Roel #2757
Col. AltaVista Lomas
Monterrey, N.L. 64740 Mexico
kathia@syntonyquest.org
This paper - as part of a broader evolutionary inquiry toward human fulfillment, societal wellbeing, and environmental sustainability - explores new frontiers for business. In a rapidly changing global environment, corporations can become evolutionary change agents for the creation of a sustainable global civilization by fostering financial, social, and environmental results.
The contemporary metaphors used to describe the business world can be limited in times when an emergent paradigm calls for new visions and actions. An evolutionary understanding, grounded in evolutionary systems theory, can open possibilities for leadership and innovation toward sustainability. Complex systems, such as organizations, need to learn to learn in harmony with the dynamics of their mileu in order to co-evolve and create value. The paper concludes with a reflection on the implications of the evolutionary paradigm for business education.
Keywords: business, evolutionary paradigm, learning, design, innovation, sustainability.
Allenna Leonard, Ph.D.
The Complementary Set
34 Palmerston Square
Toronto, ON M6G 2S7
Canada
allenna@attglobal.net
The notions of 360 reliability in the audit and in other accountability
relationships yield a different picture of control than the stereotype
of autocratic hierarchies and cultures of blame or coercion. An
assessment of the terms and conditions of an accountability relationship
applies as well where there are agreements to be managed or monitored
that have been entered into freely and where agreeing parties
wish the arrangement to work to their mutual satisfaction. Some
such agreements are private; others are public, still others are
a combination of both. Under such conditions, it is both desirable
and necessary that multiple perspectives be sought and multiple
models brought to bear on behalf of the goals of major stakeholders.
Often, valuable learning is obtained through the efforts of sharing
and synthesizing information. New opportunities or synergies may
be uncovered,
a deeper understanding of risk sources and levels acquired and
errors and misunderstandings cleared up sooner. This paper will
examine several approaches to monitoring performance and containing
risk deriving from the systems field and complimentary concepts
from post-modern thinking.
Vladimir S. Lerner
13603 Marina Pointe Drive,
Suite C-608,
Marina Del Rey CA 90292
< vslerner@yahoo.com>
Based on Information Macrodynamics, is introduced the cognitive
information network,
the mechanisms of assembling information frequencies into cognitive
structures, and the
AI applications.
Keywords : Informational Macrodynamics, Cognitive Network,
Assembling Frequencies.
Vladimir S. Lerner vslerner@yahoo.com
Alex Treyger <alex.treyger@buildpoint.com>
Abstract
Based on a conceptual analysis of the Informational Macrodynamics'
equations, this paper introduces two information systemic models
of :1. Cyclic evolution of a developing macrosystem, involving
the information functional mechanisms of self-organization, mutations,
adaptations, controls, double spiral's genetics with coding language,
system's generation, decaying, and heredity; 2. Evolution process
of the Earth's global developing macrosystem, involving human
activities, environmental and energy productions, exploring the
Earth's resources and the Sun's energy.
[01-115]
A. Levintov
Ph. D (Geography)
alevintov@reshift.com
www.redshift.com/~alevintov
The first dualistic pair is the "authentic-artificial."
The city is artificial to the degree to which it is engrossed
in the idea of its specific forms of existence: design and planning.
Its artifice is expressed by the fact that its resources are artificial.
Simultaneously, the city is authentic. It arises spontaneously,
exists according to its own laws and with time becomes a unique
phenomenon.
The second pair is "technical-natural."
The city is technical: it is organized, controlled, procedural.
The city is a technical, organized and functionally operative
expanse for the vital activity of humans.
Concurrently, the city is a natural occurrence, primarily an expression
of the nature of humans. The city is an ancient form of human
cohabitation and the social nature of humans.
At the intersection of "natural-artificial" and "technical-natural,"
we observe the following:
The quadrant designated "artificial-technical" is occupied
by civilization. Civilization possesses one highly remarkable
quality: the more developed, the more easily translatable. The
quadrant designated "artificial-natural" is occupied
by city culture. City culture is formed as a result of the iconization
of specific norms. The quadrant designated "technical-natural"
is occupied by the Centaur, those objects that have spun out of
our control. The quadrant designated "authentic-natural"
is the expanse of "pristine nature," unsullied by human
activity, unrealized and unadapted to our needs.
Such are the representations of the city in the expanse of actuality,
where there appear all modalities of existence, as well as ideas,
interests, motives, intentions. Actuality is predicated upon actual
or potential actions and activities. Each city-dweller has a unique
concept of that which is known as a city.
Reality is just as conditional as actuality. Like actuality, reality
is plural: there are no pretenders claiming to possess a single,
universal reality.
[01- 34]
Meng Li ; Fei Gao; Akio Kameoka
Graduate School of Knowledge Science
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST)
Japan's industrial competitiveness has declined for a decade. Fifteen years ago American competitiveness was eroded partially due to Japanese factor, which resulted in a debate that stimulated variety of theories in the arena. A similar discussion on Japanese competitiveness now becomes soaring in the company of its continual recession. The discussion provides not only a platform for researchers to disclose the reasons behind the complicated phenomena in Japanese context, but an excellent case for systems approach.
Competitiveness is a set of complex determinants that enable nation, industry or firm to hold competitive advantages in a global market at different magnifying levels. Solutions to industrial competitiveness depend not only on isolated firm and industry's competence but to a great extent dynamic interactions within industry and with other parties outside industry landscape. We examine Japanese industries in a systematic perspective rather than jump into the detailed processes of competition, to make a distinction between intrinsic, structural imperfection and external shocks in forms of globalization and technological changes. After scrutinizing its distinctive culture and collective behavior, we argue that simple competition resort could be an incomplete approach that may bring out short-term benefits but risk damaging the other facets of society in long run. The appropriate combination between competition and cooperation among insiders and sophisticated interrelatedness among industry, academia and government directly or via intermediaries are key to retrieval of the competitiveness and virtuous co-evolution.
In this paper, a framework on competition alongside cooperation within industry and with outside actors was proposed. By means of systems thinking as well as some local ingredients (such as kyosei thought, wa tradition), mutual-benefited interrelationships among participants, especially organic cooperation among small and middle enterprises, in the spirit of co-existence and co-evolution instead via hypercompetition, were particularly emphasized during retrieving and improving industrial competitiveness. The framework also was to provide a holistic map at a higher level for modification of institutions and was informative enough for all actors to locate and exert efforts toward a shared vision within limited resources and time under current status of the society. A comprehensive indicator system is developed for the purpose of monitoring and guiding the healthy co-evolution and the meaningful enhancement of industrial competitiveness.
Keywords: Competitiveness; Systems Approach; Cooperation; Competition
Jon Li
Institute for Public Science & Art
1075 Olive Drive #5, Davis CA 95616 USA; jli@davis.com
Conference Theme: Systems Science in the Service of Humanity
45th Annual Meeting of the International Society for the Systems
Sciences
Asilomar Conference Center, California, July 8-13, 2001
Abstract: To sell its tax cut proposal, the new Bush administration's initial rhetorical emphasis has been to fight off an economic recession. The Federal Reserve Board's adjustment of the prime interest rate is currently the most powerful tool the government has to attempt to manipulate the economy. The question becomes how to make large population centers more liveable and improve the quality of life.
Key words: recession, definition of a recession, interest rate adjustments, city quality of life, polis, metropolis, computerized community, decentralization
[01-132]
Meng Li ; Fei Gao; Akio Kameoka
Graduate School of Knowledge Science
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST)
Japan's education system has long been perplexing many people. Its elementary and secondary education is sophisticated; but the university tertiary education is asymmetrical and has difficulty to meet challenges of social and economic changes. Public policies and institutions witness the weak position of university ingrained in its ethical values, political interests, social priorities and tradeoffs. In terms of education function, university has been regarded only as a preliminary stage for further integrative corporate training. For the research role, it is actually second to corporate laboratories; tradition of emphasizing applied sciences over basic research resulted in loss of its distinctive independence. The factors destined for university to pay for shortage of social elites and respects. The past economic resumption and growth did not rely on pioneering basic researches based on that novel technologies and products are spawned, but nowadays the situation is irreversibly shifting; as its industrial competitiveness was eroded in the last decade due to lack of creative talents and unique knowledge necessarily linked with basic researches as well as other emulators caught up, the importance of university is extruded.
A system perspective on the education system as a constituent part of the study on Japan industrial competitiveness was provided in the paper. We argue in knowledge society for sustainability social and cultural cognizance of university must be profoundly readjusted and university should be redesigned not only for pipelining quality and creative human resources with diversity but also being leveraged as a public knowledge hub for better diffusing, sharing and creating knowledge, through which it reinstitutes its commensurate status and social confidence on it. The approach stresses both the independent basic researches and co-researches that reinforce dynamic relationships among university, industry, intermediate and government. The interrelatedness facilitates the mutual-benefited efforts on information exchanges and knowledge sharing; industry enhances its competitiveness and university acquires practical knowledge and necessary financial support. The organic interplay among four parties forms relatively coherent intertwinement that becomes competitive advantages and finally produces economic advantages for a nation, plus ingenious graduate supply and networking, logically makes university become one of determinant resources in industrial competitiveness.
Key Words: University Education; Competitiveness; Systems Approaches
Ann Lind and Bertil Lind
University College of Borås, Sweden
e-mail: ann.lind@bhs.utb.hb.se and bertil.lind@hb.se
Information literacy is a most important concept today. The information literate person gains power through the efficiency with which he can access and use information. It is therefore urgent that all people are offered the opportunity to develop their information literacy to a sufficient level. To reach the majority of people that development should start at school.
At school the process when the students develop information
literacy is often performed through the school library. The library
constitutes a culture that is different from the teaching situation
in the rest of the school. The students have adapted to the general
school culture and when meeting the library culture the difference
between the two cultures may result in communication difficulties
for the students that may affect their possibilities to develop
their information literacy. In order to bridge over these intercultural
problems it is necessary to establish a close cooperation between
the cultures. The key persons in the two cultures are the librarian
and the teacher.
The student, the librarian and the teacher will be part of a human
activity system which has as a common goal to enhance the student's
information literacy. It is therefore of interest to investigate,
from the student's perspective, how that system may influence
the student's information literacy. How information literate the
individual student is will have an impact on how the student,
the teacher and the librarian will interact during the whole process.
From a systems science perspective that process could therefore
be seen as cybernetic loops. Earlier experience from information
seeking activities will influence the process and new experiences
will contribute to the level of information literacy.
In this paper different aspects of the interaction between the student, the librarian and the teacher are discussed. We use Checkland's (1999) CATWOE categories as the base for that discussion. A cybernetic loop in the process when the students are creating information literacy is also identified.
One important aspect of the interaction to develop information literacy of the students is Internet. That media is a powerful tool for finding information but raises questions about information quality and the necessity to evaluate information. To be able to use the full power of Internet the students must possess a sufficient level of information literacy.
In the end of the discussion this paper will present communication models from a systems science perspective that illustrates the influence of the human activity system consisting of the student, the teacher and the librarian when the student is developing information literacy.
Keywords: Information literacy, students, intercultural communication, communication models.
[01- 40]
Bertil Lind
University College of Borås, Sweden
School of Business and Informatics
e-mail: bl@adm.hb.se
Different methods for systems analysis and design contain an activity where the requirements of the system are identified. These requirements are based on goals for the system that are built on business goals. The business goals are related to business processes. Such processes are value added processes, that is they are supposed to create a value for the customer, a value that the customer is willing to pay for. The opinion of what is of value differs between different situations and cultures. The vendor and the customer may therefore have different views on what is of value. When the vendor describes the value of his products, for example through marketing activities, he must make certain that the customers appreciate the products in the same way as their advantages are marketed. To evaluate market reactions on different activities to see if the business goals are reached is a most dynamic activity. The goal analysis however, is a static activity in most systems analysis methods, where the goals are identified and will then guide the system developer through the process of designing the system. In such cases there is no further analysis of how a goal control process could be created, that is how feedback could be taken into the system to secure that the system guides the business towards the goal in question. This paper presents a method where a systems science perspective has been used to create cybernetic loops to take care of feedback from different activities. It is thus possible to introduce processes that can modify present activities or create new activities in order to guide the business towards the goal. The scope of the method is to create a control system by using cybernetic principles through feedback loops. The loops should contain considerations about what to measure, what to control, which activities to perform and the effects of these activities. The effects can then be measured again and a new turn in the loop can be run through. This method will create a dynamic view of goal analysis which enhances the efficiency of the system and increases the possibilities for the business to reach the goal. Some models are presented in the paper that describe the cybernetic loop and how the loop can be integrated into the information system. The technique described in this paper has been tested on about 200 university students with a very good result. It is possible to introduce this simple method with little effort and gain an understanding of how cybernetic loops can be used to create a better understanding of the dynamics of goal control.
Keywords: Goal control, cybernetic loops, business processes.
[01- 41]
Viktor P. Lozitsky, M.D., Ph.D. and Vadim I. Kvitash,
M.D., Ph.D.*
Personal Health Response, Inc.
2299 Post Street Medical Building, Suite 307, San
Francisco, California 94115
Balascopy-based General Systems Technology operationally identified
all possible types of
systems-specific relational asymmetries or imbalances as seven
types of relational invariants:
Empirical study of the systems-specific changes in highly complex natural system of biochemical processes in the human body at different pathological conditions reveals that the spread of imbalances through the metabolic system as well as their dynamical changes from one type of Relons or Reloms to another type are neither random nor chaotic but nomogenetic in nature. Their trajectories can only go through a hierarchy of two strict directional pathways:
Non-linear pathway - N. can go to A., and A. can go to I. or to D. or back to N.;
Linear pathway - D.< > N. < > I. < > Ii. < > Ni. < > Di.
The identification of two strict directional pathways of systems imbalances allowed a deeper understanding of systems dynamics by precise tracking of systems imbalances and assessment of severity and extent of systems dysfunction. Tracking directional pathways of systems imbalances represents significant prognostic information which can be used for accurate prediction of systems dynamics.
Keywords: Balascopy, Relons, Reloms, Directional Pathways, Hierarchy
[01- 65]
* Corresponding Author
Anders Malmsjö and Göran Larsson
University of Skövde
Department of Computer Science
P.O. Box 408
S-54128 Skövde
Sweden
anders.malmsjo@ida.his.se
The purpose of this paper is to identify the consequences of applying ethical considerations in the process of designing information systems. It is assumed that by using an ethical theory, needs and interests of those who are stakeholders will be more explicitly considered. Rights ethics is the ethical theory, which has been applied in this study. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) has been used as a model of the design process. A characterisation of rights ethics has been made. Key aspects of rights ethics in the context of information systems development are: duties are created out of rights, not vice versa; rights and duties have a reciprocal relationship; the individual is in focus; there exist positive and negative rights; fair judgements should guide decision-making; different communities create different categories of rights; there exists a distinction between legal and human rights. Based on these key aspects analyses of consequences for design process have been made. The result of the analyses is a general foundation upon which specific recommendations can be made.
Keywords: Design, Information systems, Rights ethics
[01-130]
David Manuel-Navarrete
david.manuel@campus.uab.es
This paper analyses the points of consensus and the main discrepancies in the Ecological Integrity (EI) literature. These discrepancies are used for identifying and characterizing three different approaches to EI: (1) Wildlife-Normative Approach, (2) Systemic-Normative Approach, and (3) Self-Organizing Holarchic Open (SOHO)- Post Normal Science (PNS) Approach. A tentative fourth approach is proposed. This consists of: (1) emphazising the analysis of both social, and economic systems when applying ecological integrity, and (2) replacing the conflict resolution participatory logic with a participatory perspective based on a social process of individualization. The latter means that individuals develop what they are through the understanding and discussion about ecological integrity. An operationalization of the approach is proposed consisting of a modification of the SOHO Model developed by Kay and Schneider.
Keywords: Ecological integrity, Ecosystem integrity, Post-Normal Science, SOHO Model
[01- 80]
Donna DeWitt McGarry
University of St. Thomas
Graduate School of Business
Minneapolis, MN
Mailing Address: 4526 Casco Ave.
Edina, MN 55424
Physicist and writer, Fritjof Capra, states that the crisis of our times is a crisis of perception. I would suggest the crisis stem from our inability to perceive systemic connections. We are conditioned by the 17th century worldview of Newton and the tool of analysis devised by Descartes to perceive objects and events as separate and non-related. The only relationship we acknowledge is linear cause and effect. Newton's worldview and Descartes analysis are insufficient to perceive and comprehend the complex systems problems that plague our daily existence.
The systems sciences offer a very different worldview that begins not with separate parts but with a whole that differentiates into parts. The parts are therefore connected through the relationships and interactions that organize the system. To effectively deal with systems you must be able to perceive the systemic connections and recognize their pattern of organization. Pattern recognition at this level requires skills in observation, abstraction and imaging.
Families are systems that too often are perceived through the lens of reductionism as aggregates of individuals. Family therapists recognize that the family is a system but they are still hampered in their efforts to comprehend the systemic connections by the cognitive tool of analysis. Analysis breaks the system into its component parts and ignores the relationships and interactions that organize the system. My presentation will offer the theory and techniques of pattern recognition. This tool together with an understanding of systems principles and dynamics provides the framework needed to deal with the complex problems that emerge within family and other complex systems.
Changing a system is not simply a matter of changing the individuals within the system. The characteristics of a system do not come from the characteristics of its components but from their organization. Changing systems requires changing their pattern of organization, that is, the pattern of relationships and networks of interaction that organize the system.
Keywords: Pattern of Organization, Complex systems, Pattern Recognition
[01- 10]
Dr Janet McIntyre
Systemic Outcomes
j.mcintyre@octa4.com.au
Internationally, globalization has been paradoxically translated into economic rationalist development, nationalism and closure born of a fear of the implications of globalisation, global markets for the least powerful countries, regions and interest groups. Social problems in terms of the economic rationalist approach are increasingly individualized and citizenship models emphasize the responsibility of individuals and families. Many current human service models in Australia (like elsewhere) are non-systemic (psychological, medical, education, crime prevention and economic models). The paper reflects on an experience of undertaking a study of the life chances of citizens in a remote region of Australia. Indigenous people score lowest in terms of employment, health and education outcomes and highest in terms of incarceration rates. Self determination is still a goal for this nation within a nation. Development responses do not, however, have to be at either end of the continuum of approaches that are economic rationalist or socialist in orientation, as neither of these models are sufficiently systemic in nature. Potential ideas to address social and environmental justice need to take into account multiple variables from many sources. This requires open communication and diversity management to include stakeholders that represent multiple interest groups so that multisemic solutions can be achieved. The World Health Organisations Healthy Settings approach (that resonates with the Indigenous concerns about land, a sense of place and wellbeing) is one such approach. Strategies need to take into account historical, socio-cultural, political, economic and environmental variables.
The research found locally that when Indigenous citizens feel that they cannot take responsibility and that they have no rights or minimal rights then they direct their sense of anger inwards (high rates of mental ill health and suicide) or express their despair at being marginalised as indicated by the high rates of domestic violence and alcohol-related injuries. The fact that people (particularly young people and Indigenous young people) perceive that they cannot control their life chances and that they have too many external controls results in directing control over their body (emphasis on drugs and alcohol to help them cope and the ultimate act of despair, namely suicide). The programs for prevention to address these interrelated indicators of social marginalisation and despair need to redress real and perceived social marginalisation through integrated development across sectors and in so doing build social capital and environmental capital across all interest groups. The paper explores citizenship rights and responsibilities and the way in which these concepts are linked with experience and life chances. Development concepts need to be defined in culturally acceptable ways if a sense of wellbeing (associated with self-determination) is to be achieved. By thinking systemically and using a range of tools to enable us to hold in mind more than one ideology, discipline or framework at the same time it is likely that we will move closer to nurturing the social and environmental capital required for current and future generations. The implications of multiple factors are analysed and policy suggestions are made.
Keywords: Frameworks, healthy settings, managerialism, control, systemic thinking and practice, interdisciplinary approaches to development.
[01-022]
Gary S. Metcalf, Ph.D.
InterConnections, LLC
1212 Bath Ave., 6th Floor, Suite 4
Ashland, KY 41101
gmetcalf@ezwv.com
The idea that "no person is an island" seems so obvious as to be trite. Yet the human environment in which we live remains largely one of assumption and metaphor. Terms such as "family", "culture", or "ethnicity" are often used to describe the commonalties or bonds that exist within groups, but the clarity behind such distinctions is disappearing rapidly, along with traditional political and economic boundaries.
Humans are not unique in terms of social functioning. Insect colonies exhibit complex forms of organization, interaction, and cooperation. Most animals live in groups of some form (packs, herds, schools, pods, etc.) And within these groups typically exist hierarchies of status (e.g., "pecking order"), divisions of labor, and so on. From our observations of other animals has developed a "compare and contrast" view of social systems. We are only "human animals" in many ways, influenced or controlled through urges and drives or group behavior - most predictable at the macro level. Philosophers and theologians have argued the uniqueness of humans for centuries, but there remains no "clear, bright line" of distinction.
While all the foregoing remains unresolved, questions of human distinction have recently shifted from biology to technology. To what degree might we replicate human functioning in or through machines? Or conversely, how do technologies enhance or detract from human functioning? Specifically regarding social systems, are things such as "virtual communities" (via the Internet) real social systems - or could they become such? What is it that creates the social bonds that so affect our thought, our perceptions, and our behaviors?
This paper will present a very preliminary framework by proposing that human social systems are systems of affiliation, based upon symbolic interactions. It will expand and depart somewhat from Luhmann's notion that social systems are based upon communication, and Maturana's concept of humanity based in language. Further, it will explore these themes within the larger context of evolutionary models of culture and consciousness. Finally, it will contrast the current, Western system of relationships based upon contracts (founded in Law) with the concept of relationships based on covenants (systems of mutual respect and obligation.)
[01-052]
Gianfranco Minati
gianfranco.minati@iol.it http://web.tiscalinet.it/gminati
Associazione Italiana per le Ricerca sui Sistemi (AIRS), 42 Viale
P. Rossi,
20161 Milano, Italy http://www.AIRS.it
Sabre Brahms
Phillips Graduate Institute, adjunct faculty
Saybrook Graduate School, Ph. D. student
The concept of DYnamic uSAge of Models (DYSAM) is introduced
with reference to possible kinds of applications. It applies to
modeling systems that emerge from the behavior of the same agents:
they cause the arise of multiple systems. Such a kind of emergence
takes places when agents are provided with Cognitive Systems.
The topic is really in the Cognitive Science dominion. Application
of DYSAM is required to model changing users. Distinctions must
be made between (1) continuously changing users and (2) users
asking for heuristic-generating models converging to a more effective
one. A real application to handwritten numbers recognition is
introduced and discussed. Focus is on application to social systems,
to corporate management and to models to be dynamically used.
In many applications having communication and interaction problems,
the approach to deal with different kinds of unexpected users
is only based on standardizing and on inducing standardization.
The case of simultaneous, systemic use of different models (Cybernetic
device; Living system; Complex System; Emergence process -from
Collective Behavior-; Collective Being establishment) to model
the receiver in communication process is discussed. Particular
focus is on corporate communication processes having continuously
changing receivers to a constant sender, replacing the old static
House Organ paper publication. The process of modeling in education
is also discussed distinguishing by modeling a whole system and
a system intended as a Collective Being, that is a system of interacting
and simultaneous models. Applications of educational activities,
of E-books and of Virtual Supermarket technologies are discussed.
The Service is to propose conceptual devices based on the DYSAM
approach that are not only able to support and to protect diversity
and specific skills in human beings, but to induce their emergence
as a source of richness in the spiritual, cultural and scientific
dimensions. By the way, the application of the DYSAM approach
is not only culturally and scientifically effective, but it is
expected to be profitable from an economic point of view by adding
value to services and products.
The innovation introduced refers to the topic of systems methodology.
Keywords: agents, Collective Beings, dynamic modeling, emergence, multiple systems
[01- 94]
Matjaz MULEJ , Zdenka Zenko , Vojko POTOCAN , Stefan KAJZER
When Ludwig von Bertalanffy established the General Systems Theory, his basic aims seem to have been (a) to fight the overspecialization of the modern professions, (b) to require and support holistic thinking about the entire planet Earth, not its smaller parts only, (c) to make us see the Earth as an organization full of interdependendences. The modern practice shows that the problem has not been solved in this way, or at least not fully, unfortunately. There is too much knowledge around, and the real life is too complex and complicated for us normal human beings to be able to be as broad as needed. Humanity is in danger: air, water and arable soil are about to come to lack. Unfortunately, systems theory has not become a tool of a general use, but rather a topic of quite few scientists and pratitioners. There are few new books on GST, but quite a number of the less general and more focused, applied nature. One of them is Mulej's Dialectical Systems Theory (1974, and later). Over good 25 years we had a lot of fruitful experiences with it. Their common denominator is its orientation to human cooperation, as a precondition of using the real interdependencies to build wholism on the level which can be done and is expressed in the Mulej/Kajzer law of the requisite wholism.
The selected problem of this contribution is a brief look at
the relation between problems of human consideration and both
systems thinking and theory and at the Dialectical Systems Theory
(DST) as one response to both the practice's and GST's practical
defficiencies. The selected viewpoint is a brief presentation
of the DST (and its applied methodology USOMID) as a tool of attaining
a requisite wholism (because a total one is impossible, and a
one-sided one is fictitious and therefore dangerous). Without
an interdisciplinary creative cooperation one can hardly attain
the requisite wholism in dealing with complex features.