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

VIEWPOINT 1)3)

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The peculiar angle under which an observer focuses his or her attention on a complex situation or system.

R. ESPEJO stresses that "Complexity, as opposed to variety, is something that results from the interaction of the viewpoint with the situation. Complexity is in the eye of the beholder" (1988, p. 140).

Variety itself, is intrinsic and, save in very simple theoretical examples, never completely observable, because it becomes readily gigantic. St. BEER observed that 7 elements could have 2 possible patterns of interaction in time.

Much reduced descriptive models of complexity are extracted from potential or real variety by specific ways of observing systems. Moreover, descriptions by different observers may not coincide… and generally do not.

Even the same observer may very well describe a system or situation in different ways, according to his or her interest at the moment.

Moreover, any personal description is generally biased, even unknowingly, by the observer.

Better descriptions are in principle made by groups of observers from different viewpoints, and still more so if they use reasoned criteria and seek consensus.

It should also be taken in account that persona or shared viewpoints do not remain permanent in time, being influenced by learning, experience, debate, etc…

Stressing the importance of viewpoints will help systemists to avoid becoming doctrinaires liable to theoretical abuse.

→ Weltanschauung

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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