SYSTEMS THEORY: Historical roots

Charles François (2004). SYSTEMS THEORY: Historical roots, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3485.

Collection	International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics
Year	2004
Vol. (num.)	2(2)
ID	◀ 3485 ▶
Object type	General information

In his “Roots and branches” paper (2002, p. 417-428), K. BAUSCH explores the conceptual roots of systems thinking

He distinguishes:

- the 17^th C. mechanical model (DESCARTES,NEWTON, LEIBNIZ)

- the 19^th C. organic model (SPENCER, MILLER, SUMNER)

- the early 20^th C. equilibrium model (PARETO, PARSONS)

- the early 20^th C. homeostatic model (CANNON)

- the early and mid 20^th C. process model (SIMMEL, MEAD, ALLPORT)

He also describes what he calls “new branches” i.e. the wide variety of more recent models that introduced significant new approaches in systems theory . Among many others he cites:

- HAKEN (Synergetics)

- PRIGOGINE (Dissipative structuration)

- EIGEN (Encapsulated hypercycle)

- CSANYI (Emergence of systems)

- KAUFFMAN (Self- organization)

- HABERMAS (Communication action)

- MATURANA and VARELA (Autopoiesis)

- WARFIELD (Generic design)

- FLOOD and JACKSON (Critical systems thinking)

- BICKERTON (Language and representation)

- LUHMANN (Systemic process)

- BANATHY and CHRISTAKIS (Social systems design)

- CHECKLAND (Soft systems methodology)

- GLEICK (Chaos) (in fact introduced by E. LORENZ)

Other angles have also been explored by Deborah HAMMOND (2002, p. 429-440) and Ch. FRANÇOIS (1999, 2000)

These various essays could become useful inputs for a more integrated and complete history of Systems thinking, still to be written