Economic sustainability through systems education [Len Troncale, ISSS 1998
Plenary Session, July 21/98]
These notes are a rough transcription,
prepared as each individual presenter and/or commentator spoke at the ISSS
1998 conference. Gaps and errors have likely occurred. For more accurate
citations, please consult the original presenters. These notes have been
contributed to the ISSS by David Ing, of the IBM Advanced Business Institute
(sabi@systemicbusiness.org).
[Plenary session, July 21/98, 10:50 a.m.]
Len Troncale, Cal Poly
Systems and Ecosystems as Allies
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Shared name
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Shared subject:
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Ecology is nearest in scale to General Systems Theory.
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Involves both natural and human systems.
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Shared limits:
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Can't do controlled experiments.
Caveat: Sustainability is not static stability
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Complex evolving dynamic equilibrium.
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Characterized by evolution and adaptation.
Involves ecosystem engineering, with lots of human intervention
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Regenerative studies, in restoration ecology.
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"System oath" to be introduced.
Involves societal systems engineering
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100 years of words: he who sets the questions, sets the future
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Require a new general systems education.
How to get sustain in sustainable?
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Many specialties are narrow.
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Natural systems science has 13 billion years of experience.
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Can do empirical refinement.
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General System education maxims.
His ideal of a systems education program
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From astsys, physys, chemsys, geosys, biosys have all existed at the same
time.
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Noone discusses across this discipline.
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Has specialists (Ph.D.s) would can't pass the first test.
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Should explore 84 systems mechanisms and patterns (see the encyclopedia)
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Hundreds of linkage propositions.
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At 7:30 p.m. will show 50 multimedia modules
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30 weeks of intensive studies
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270 case studies of systems mechanisms and processes, e.g. oscillation
Need consensus within ISSS, but don't have good methods.
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Need to understand natsys and socsys similarities and differences.
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Will bring in ideas for "systems medicine": e.g. pathology.
New tools: Klir's reconstructability; Odum's Emergy analysis; linkage propositions;
living systems
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There aren't used by ecosystems people.
From environmental science:
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Need some basic research domain: Deutsch's law is not a law -- it was just
coined as one.
What inhibits systems science?
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Lack of shared methodology: across social and nature science.
When should systems education occur?
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Grad school?
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Lower is better: no flow into the business community.
Where is integration taught? Nowhere.
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Must identify an integration toolbox:
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At least Ackoff gave us a list.
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Boulding's tools.
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AIS and IAS tools.
Past systems education programs
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USC systems departments, U. of Colorado
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CSU at San Jose
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Ackoff at Wharton
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U. Louisville
Stealth Delivery of Systems Education
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CDROMs to 30,000 public libraries.
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Popular Science, Freeman Press
Will create a SIS alliance: teaching the teachers, who will create materials
for K-12.
3-year program in comparative systems analysis.
Systems oath: "Do no harm".
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We typically only intervene in systems that we know.
Systems Allometry:
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Empirical demonstration across systems sciences
Center for Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly is not on systems, but is an
ecological building / environment, with interested students.
Need to get our act together first, and then can teach.
Questions
Difference between social systems and natural systems is that in social
systems, the person is inside of it.
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