International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

"The human being, language and reasoning through relationships are universal priors to science" (J. WARFIELD, 1995, p. 137).

WARFIELD contends that "there can be no science without all three of them" (1988, p. 339). The law, of course, unavoidedly relativizes human knowledge from the ontological viewpoint. This is not dramatic, if its obvious character is understood and taken in account.

WARFIELD proposes a fourth universal prior relative to the "means to represent scientific knowledge in a manner that provides Referential Transparency"… as "the representation of scientific knowledge forms the linkage between the investigator and the scientific community, and consequently representation is inherent in scientific pursuits".

Referential transparency is generally taken for granted. It implies however the belief in "interpretive symmetry between originator and receiver of communications, summarized in four essentials:

"a) That the linguistic terms needed to represent either exist in the language or will be created as required;

"b) that a way to organize the description exists or will be created;

"c) that the design of the representation will employ the foregoing, and

"d) that the representation can be assimilated and properly interpreted by both originator and receiver" (p.340).

Doubtlessly, the difficulties for systemists to make themselves understood into their communities have much to see with this fourth universal prior: Systemic language is still in process of ordering, and the receivers do not understand its meaning and possible uses. We should be heedful.