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

GOALS CONFLICT 1)4)

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A strong opposition or even incompatibility between the goals of distinct systems.

As D. Mac KAY explains, goals conflicts may arise between two (or more) systems "with incompatible goal-settings, and a common field of operations. In the ordinary way, each is bound to be driven by its (own) feedback signal to run eventually "flat out" in opposition to the other".

"How could this absurd and wasteful situation be resolved, or prevented from arising? In the absence of a third party, we must imagine one or both systems to possess some kind of an additional effector-system, capable of physical action upon the environment, to be brought in automatically when goal-conflict arises. The simplest one might be a destructive device of some sort deployed (presumably by each "side") with the sub-goal of cutting the power to the other, or otherwise put it out of action. Given a situation not too symmetrical, one system could then emerge triumphant and its primary goal would be attainable.

"Suppose however, that by chance or by design, the physical activity of one (or both) succeeded in altering the goal-setting of the other. Displaced in one direction, it would of course make matters worse, but if instead the displacement brought the two goal-settings together, then we would have the beginnings of a wholly different kind of "resolution". Instead of being rivals, the two systems could evidently become partners, sharing the effort of furthering the common goal. The closer the approximation of their respective settings, the greater the economy of total effort" (1969, p.115).

Such a viewpoint is obviously of utmost importance for the resolution of conflict in general and, specially between social groups or systems. The setting of any reciprocal regulator, whose work must be paid for, entails a cost, but most generally results much less costly than the mutual damage resulting from open and unresolved conflict.

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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