BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

COMPLEXITY versus SIMPLICITY 1)3)

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The concept of complexity evolved considerably during the 20th century. This historic process is thus described by R. LEFEVER and I. PRIGOGINE: "In the classical perspective, there was a clearcut distinction between what was considered to be simple and what had to be considered as complex: There was no hesitation about calling "simple" Newtonian laws of motion, perfect gas, or chemical reactions. Also, one would have called "complex" biological processes, and more so human activities such as described by economics or urban planning. In this perspective, the aim of classical science was to discover even in complex systems, some underlying simple level. This level would be the carrier of deterministic and time reversible laws of nature: Future and past would play the same role. However, this basic level remained elusive. Today a far reaching reconceptualization of science is going on. Wherever we look, we find evolution, diversification and instabilities" (1986, p.2).

Systemics is, in many aspects, fundamentally a science of complexity. As a first step G. WEINBERG distinguishes:

- Organized simplicity (machines)

- Unorganized complexity (aggregates)

- Organized complexity (systems) (1975, p.18).

Roughly, organized simplicity corresponds to lineal deterministic machines (von FOERSTER's trivial machines).

Unorganized complexity corresponds to random interactions between a great number of elements and can be studied through statistical methods. Finally, organized complexity is proper to nonlineal systems and is the specific study domain of systemics.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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