Language
Country/Area
No result found
The surprising evolution of systems thinking: From ancient astronomy to modern control systems.
Systems thinking is an approach to understanding the complexity of the world that emphasizes seeing things in terms of their wholeness and relationships rather than breaking them down into their parts. This way of thinking is used in complex contexts to explore and develop effective actions that promote systemic change. From ancient astronomy to modern engineering technology, systems thinking has inherited and contributed to systems theory and systems science.
History
Comparison of Ptolemaic and Copernican systems
The term system has multiple meanings. As early as 1674, Robert Hooke mentioned the relationship between the Ptolemaic system and the Copernican system in his work, indicating that the understanding of the relative positions of planets and stars had already sparked discussion. Newton's "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" further explored this topic and established the framework of Newton's equations and dynamical systems.
The rise of feedback control systemsNewton's equations (like a system of equations) have a solvable method and are still applicable today.
As technology advanced, the Carnot cycle presented an engineering challenge in 1824: how to maintain the operating temperature of hot industrial plants. In 1868, James Clerk Maxwell proposed a framework that paved the way for solving this problem.
Maxwell's solution provides an actionable method for controlling physical systems based on linearized equations of motion.
This method paved the way for the subsequent research on control system theory, stability theory, and category satisfaction problems. Norbert Wiener further advanced the field during World War II, even proposing that some subsystems be analyzed as black boxes.
Characteristics of systems thinking
So, what is a system? A system is a collection of things that are connected to each other in some way that produces patterns of behavior over time. Its responses are unique and usually not straightforward.
A system is "a whole composed of evenly diverse, interacting specialized structures and substructures."
This means that the way a subsystem operates can be described by its inputs and outputs, without focusing on the more detailed inner workings. From political systems to biological systems, these different types of systems help us better understand their workings.
Application Cases
The application of systems thinking continues to expand across different industries. For example, how can we change the structure of the system to achieve the outcomes we want but reduce the undesirable outcomes? This has been an important question for managers to discuss for decades.
Jay Forrester of MIT has said that the average manager can accurately predict which are the leverage points in a system, when small changes lead to large shifts in behavior.
System and Countermeasures
In nature, living systems are resilient and often far from equilibrium. The concept of homeostasis, described in 1849, echoes the term homeostasis, coined in 1926, which emphasizes the self-organizing capacity of living systems. Therefore, the scope of functional control is hierarchical and exhibits the characteristics of system resilience.
The framework and methodology of systems thinking
A number of frameworks and methodologies have been developed to support the practice of systems thinking, such as the "critical systems heuristic" and the "soft systems approach". These methods help people clarify their thoughts and develop clear action plans in complex environments.
As systems thinking gradually penetrates into all areas of people's lives, from economics to environmental protection to understanding of social behavior, its application will affect more policies and decisions in the future. Against this backdrop, we must ask: How will systems thinking shape our decisions and actions in the face of future challenges?
