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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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS: Its basic categories 1)2)3)

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Ch. HITCH, quoted by I. BLAUBERG et al. lists the following "universal logical elements of systems analysis", which BLAUBERG et al. consider to be categories:

1. A goal or set of goals

2. Alternetive means ("systems") that can be used to reach the goal and are sets of systems elements or strategies;

3. Resource expenditures on the system:

4. A mathematical and logical model, i.e. a system of connections between the goals, alternative means, environment, and requirements imposed upon resources

5. The criterion by which the preferred alternatives are selected" (in BLAUBERG et al., 1977, p.265).

Obviously, systems analysis is "ad hoc": goals, means, models, etc… are selected by the analyst, in relation to his own goals, knowledge… and prejudices, and also probably those of the user of the system. This is unavoidable, of course, but should preferably not remain unknown from the analyst, nor from his "client", nor shrouded from the view of other possible stakeholders.

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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