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

OBSOLESCENCE 1)4)

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The characteristic of an artifact or technique which cannot anymore compete with more efficient newer ones.

Obsolescence started being merely a result of moderate technical evolution, as for example, for stage coaches being slowly replaced by motorized vehicles, or transoceanic liners by airplanes.

However, it is now a much more intricated systemic problem. First, capitalist economic dynamics introduced covert "planned obsolescence" as a way to foster early renewal of durable artifacts.

Now, the acceleration of technical progress is generating "non-planned obsolescence", as still very usable and not yet duly written-off artifacts are turned non-cost effective by new appliances.

The classical model of life-cycle is consequently no longer valid. As a result obsolescence must now be considered a time-binded systemic situation that introduces new types of constraints (and stresses) in economy and in society, which should become a subject of research.

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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