"There are systems of several different kinds. A first classing of them is the ideal/material dichotomy: whatever is ideal is not material and conversely. Idealists as well as materialists uphold this dichotomy. ... However, the ideal/material dichotomy is insufficient, since some material systems, such as the social, technological, and semiotic ones, incorporate or express ideas. A somewhat finer distinction of systems is as follows:

1. Natural , such as a molecule, river network, or a nervous system

2. Social , such as a family, a school, or a linguistic community

3. Technical , such as a machine, a TV network, or a high-tech hospital

4. Conceptual , such as a classification, a hypothetico-deductive system (theory), or a legal code

5. Semiotic, such as a language, a musical score, or a blueprint for a building"

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