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.

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CASSANDRA's SYNDROME 1)4)

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The fate of any clear-sighted individual, able to forecast some future event, but nearly never believed. This was the case of Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy, who was endowed with such a gift, but fated by the god Hermes never to be given heed.(Homer's Iliad)

The syndrome is in fact systemic and specific to social systems. Some very few individuals are endowed with foresight because they perceive quite concealed and unobstrusive interactions in a situation or issue, that could later on trigger very considerable and possibly dramatic consequences. Meanwhile, common people remain shortsighted and, as they see nothing special in the situation, they don't believe "Cassandra".

Another curious greek tale, more or less similar, is about Tiresias, the Theban prophet, who was blind. In many cases, the foresighting individual seems to be blind to the present issue, as his forecasts or prophecies appear to be incredible according to what common people perceive from the actual facts. Tiresias also is thus not understood or believed.

Let us hope a better fate for systemists concerned or worried about the future of human systems!

→ Interoception; Prospective

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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