CRITERION
Charles François (2004). CRITERION, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 753.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 753 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics, Methodology or model |
A rule or standard used to take decisions, emit opinions or define categories.
Any criterion is, of course, relative to the aims or conditions of its application. For example, we may favor a highly productive maize for economical reasons, but it may be at the same time highly susceptible to pests, or not well adapted to some natural conditions, as for example drought.
Criteria relative to systems classifications, or recognition of structures and processes, are of utmost importance for systems research and its epistemological foundations. They should always be enounced as clearly as possible.
A good example is the use of some kind of rules to define the boundaries of a system, in a more or less precise way.