Post-2013 addendum: Many of the ideas in this January 2012 blog post — particularly around episteme, techne and phronesis — were more formally published in October 2013 as “Rethinking Systems Thinking: Learning and Coevolving with the World”, in Systems Research and Behavioral Science. Please cite that article, rather than this preliminary blog post.
Commenting on the Overview of Systems Science (draft version 0.5) for the Guide to the Systems Engineering Book of Knowledge is problematic. Applying systems thinking on systems thinking constitutes a mess of ideas that is difficult to tease apart. Breaking the idea of “systems science” in its parts of (i) “systems” and (ii) “science” is reductive. The more compatible approach is to view “science” with a larger context of “systems thinking”.
I’ll attempt to shed some more light on concerns and perspectives in the following sections:
- 1. The definition of science often tends towards disciplinarity; systems thinking aims for transdisciplinarity
- 2. Science is part of thinking, which can be philosophically framed as episteme (know why), techne (know how) and phronesis (know when, know when, know whom)
- 3. Domains of systems thinking can be categorized into systems theory, systems methods, and systems practice
- 4. Incomplete systems thinking may suggest paths through which gaps may be filled
- 5. Systems thinking has evolved with roots of linear causality, circular causality, complexity theory and reflexivity theory
- 6. Opportunities to refresh ties between systems thinking and action science, theory of practice and social learning could be pursued
The discussion of science and systems thinking leads to perspectives at another level.… Read more (in a new tab)
Post-2013 addendum: Many of the ideas in this January 2012 blog post — particularly around episteme, techne and phronesis — were more formally published in October 2013 as “Rethinking Systems Thinking: Learning and Coevolving with the World”, in Systems Research and Behavioral Science. Please cite that article, rather than this preliminary blog post.
Commenting on the Overview of Systems Science (draft version 0.5) for the Guide to the Systems Engineering Book of Knowledge is problematic. Applying systems thinking on systems thinking constitutes a mess of ideas that is difficult to tease apart. Breaking the idea of “systems science” in its parts of (i) “systems” and (ii) “science” is reductive. The more compatible approach is to view “science” with a larger context of “systems thinking”.
I’ll attempt to shed some more light on concerns and perspectives in the following sections:
- 1. The definition of science often tends towards disciplinarity; systems thinking aims for transdisciplinarity
- 2. Science is part of thinking, which can be philosophically framed as episteme (know why), techne (know how) and phronesis (know when, know when, know whom)
- 3. Domains of systems thinking can be categorized into systems theory, systems methods, and systems practice
- 4. Incomplete systems thinking may suggest paths through which gaps may be filled
- 5. Systems thinking has evolved with roots of linear causality, circular causality, complexity theory and reflexivity theory
- 6. Opportunities to refresh ties between systems thinking and action science, theory of practice and social learning could be pursued
The discussion of science and systems thinking leads to perspectives at another level.… Read more (in a new tab)
