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

WHOLES (A logic of) 2)3)

← Back

In 1941, A. ANGYAL proposed a logic of wholes, as opposed to the logic of relations (but still complementary to it). He emphasized the inadequacy of the traditional logical tools for the study of complex objects, to which he already gave the name of "systems" He wrote, in particular: "A relation requires two, and only two members (relata) between which the relation is established. A complex relation can be analysed into pairs of relata, while the system cannot be thus analysed. A system may involve an unspecified number of members. A system is not a complex relation" (in F.E. EMERY, 1969, p.18).

He added however that there are "complex connections which are reducible to two-term relations on the one hand, and complex connections which cannot be (thus) reduced… on the other hand" and stated further on that "the type of connections in a whole is very different from the connections which exist in an aggregate" (Ibid, p.20).

ANGYAL expressly reserved the term "system" for "holistic organization"

ANGYAL views are reminiscent of RUSSELL and WHITEHEAD's theory of types. It is clear that the whole cannot be reduced to the "element" type, and that its relation to each element is of a different type, i.e. hierarchical (or "vertical ") in opposition to "horizontal"

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]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint