BOUNDARIES of a PROBLEM
Charles François (2004). BOUNDARIES of a PROBLEM, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 321.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 321 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
According to St. BEER, determining the boundaries of a problem “is the most difficult problem in operational research”. He adds: “In practice the scientist needs to enlarge the scope of his study in every dimension until the factors he is bringing in seem to make no tangible difference to the answers he is getting” (1968, p.53)
BEER's comment could very well be extended to the whole research on complex systems.
Furthermore, we should never forget that the accuracy of the definitions of boundaries depends on the perceptive competence of the observer: what is tangible? to whom?
See “cognitive blindspot”, “invisibility”, “underconceptualization”