GENERAL SYSTEMS Metaphors 3)
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R.M. SNOW states: "The conceptual scheme of General Systems Theory relies heavily on organismic metaphors because of its roots in theoretical biology. All systems are described as one would describe living things, using technical biological as well as developmental terminology.
"Any system, for example, can be viewed in terms of its life cycle. All are "born" and subsequently "grow". They pass through "youth" and "maturity" to "death ". A system's self-regulatory activity, moreover, is analogous to the "homeostasis" of animals and plants. And types or "species" of systems are often described as evolving in either Darwinian or Lamarkian sense" (1993, p.142).
SNOW has however some reservations. She adds: "The systems community is able to communicate…through the mixed metaphors they share. There is a problem, however. Few systems theorists are aware of the precision of their language, and how it relates the systems sub-schools to each other. As a result, many systemic "texts" go unread by those outside the field – or even outside the sub-school in which they are written" (p.149).
Systemists should seek to acquire a deeper understanding or the nature and possible uses (or misuses) of their metaphoric language.
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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