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The Paradigm Shift of Systems Theory I. The Perspective of Systems Theory and its Relationship to the Traditional Mainstream Sciences, and its Approach to Mental Illness “Systems theory” is the name given to both a broad perspective and a large body of knowledge which has formed through the original efforts of many men and women in the last century, all of whom were working under the impulses of an important epistemological paradigm shift. That shift- the implications of which are too numerous and transformative to state or explain adequately in one place- was from the causal/linear and reductionist perspective that had largely dominated scientific thinking in their time, to an interactional perspective that explored reality in important new ways. From the perspective of the traditional sciences, the paradigm shift of systems theory was and is both radical and subversive. A Radical Shift Running for Cover To these pained souls, responses can be given. The Myth of Mental Illness But where is the problem? II.
BBC Systems Practice - Managing Complexity Copyrighted image Credit: The Open University Open2.net fades away... For ten years, give or take, Open2.net was the online home of Open University and BBC programming. Over the last few months, though, we've been moving into OpenLearn, creating one home for all The Open University's free learning content. It means we share a home with the Open University's iTunesU and YouTube channels, and much more besides. You can use the navigation at the top of this page to explore what we have on offer. Most of the content from Open2.net has been brought across; if you've landed here after typing or searching for an Open2.net URL then you're probably looking for something that fitted into one of these categories: Open2 forums We still want you to join in, comment and share your views. Open2 blogs All the blog content from Open2 is here on OpenLearn - it might be that you're trying to find a specific URL for the content that isn't being recognised by OpenLearn. Other Open2 pages
Conceptual model A conceptual model is a model made of the composition of concepts, which are used to help people know, understand, or simulate a subject the model represents. Some models are physical objects; for example, a toy model which may be assembled, and may be made to work like the object it represents. The term conceptual model may be used to refer to models which are formed after a conceptualization (generalization)[1] process in the mind. Models of concepts and models that are conceptual[edit] The term conceptual model is ambiguous. Type and scope of conceptual models[edit] Conceptual models (models that are conceptual) range in type from the more concrete, such as the mental image of a familiar physical object, to the formal generality and abstractness of mathematical models which do not appear to the mind as an image. Overview[edit] A conceptual model's primary objective is to convey the fundamental principles and basic functionality of the system in which it represents. Techniques[edit]
Critical Thinking Course Description: Critical Thinking is an introductory course in the principles of good reasoning. It covers pretty much the same subject as what is usually taught in practical logic, informal reasoning or the study of argumentation. This means that the main focus of the course lies in arguments, their nature, their use and their import. However, there are two major differences. The above features make Critical Thinking at once less formal and more dynamic than Logic. The present course is designed to serve as a methodical preparation for more effective reasoning and improved cognitive skills. The course includes the following areas of study: Introductory: Concepts, Propositions. Course Texts: The course is based on these textbooks and their incorporated or accompanying materials. Format: This course combines lectures, interpretive exercises in the assigned texts and practical logical exercises, classroom discussions, pop quizzes, tests, mind-teasers and exams. Objectives: Requirements:
Understanding Delays 2.2 Studying the First Order Negative Feedback System with Excel I program the system in Excel and carry out further experiments. I also notice the programming task becomes much easier. 2.2.1 First Order Negative Feedback Loop Responseto a Step in the The first driver function I use for the First Order Negative Feedback model is the Step. First Order Negative Feedback System Structure I formulate the model in the spreadsheet as per the below. System Response to Step in the Inflow Rate Note: the Level increases until the outflow rate rises to equal the inflow rate. This test confirms my sketch. 2.2.2 First Order Negative Feedback Loop Responseto a Step in the Target I continue to experiment with the Step function. Target as Driver System Response to Step in the Target Note: the Level increases by the value of the Target i.e. 5 cups. The Gap decreases from a value of 8 cups to 3 cups at time = 2 seconds and then grows asymptotically by 5 cups to its initial value of 8 cups. Inflow Rate as Driver
Systems engineering Systems engineering techniques are used in complex projects: spacecraft design, computer chip design, robotics, software integration, and bridge building. Systems engineering uses a host of tools that include modeling and simulation, requirements analysis and scheduling to manage complexity. Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how to design and manage complex engineering systems over their life cycles. Issues such as requirements engineering, reliability, logistics, coordination of different teams, testing and evaluation, maintainability and many other disciplines necessary for successful system development, design, implementation, and ultimate decommission become more difficult when dealing with large or complex projects. Systems engineering deals with work-processes, optimization methods, and risk management tools in such projects. The systems engineering process is a discovery process that is quite unlike a manufacturing process.
Thinking with systems—Part 1 | Beyond this Brief Anomaly This week’s post is the first in a three-part introduction to the formal language of energy, as a foundation for subsequent discussion about just what it is that the energy concept deals with. My aim is to cover some essential ideas here—where they come from, how they relate to one another—in sufficient detail for later inquiry into the higher-level relationships between energy and societal futures. A central purpose of the approach I’m advocating is to maintain a connection between our understanding and use of energy-related concepts, and day-to-day experience of our physical world. It’s my contention that we might then be better placed to appreciate and respond to the societal dilemmas we’re confronted with through clear eyes—as free as possible from the fog of confused conceptions. In last week’s post, I introduced the energy concept as the capacity to do work or transfer heat. In the most straightforward terms, what it is, is a system. An introduction to systems
Sociotechnical systems Sociotechnical systems (STS) in organizational development is an approach to complex organizational work design that recognizes the interaction between people and technology in workplaces. The term also refers to the interaction between society's complex infrastructures and human behaviour. In this sense, society itself, and most of its substructures, are complex sociotechnical systems. Sociotechnical systems pertains to theory regarding the social aspects of people and society and technical aspects of organizational structure and processes. Overview[edit] Sociotechnical refers to the interrelatedness of social and technical aspects of an organization. One is that the interaction of social and technical factors creates the conditions for successful (or unsuccessful) organizational performance. Therefore sociotechnical theory is about joint optimization,[3] that is, designing the social system and technical system in tandem so that they work smoothly together. Principles[edit] 18.
Homeostasis Homeostasis, also spelled homoeostasis (from Greek: ὅμοιος homœos, "similar" and στάσις stasis, "standing still"), is the property of a system in which variables are regulated so that internal conditions remain stable and relatively constant. Examples of homeostasis include the regulation of temperature and the balance between acidity and alkalinity (pH). It is a process that maintains the stability of the human body's internal environment in response to changes in external conditions. The concept was described by French physiologist Claude Bernard in 1865 and the word was coined by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926.[1] Although the term was originally used to refer to processes within living organisms, it is frequently applied to automatic control systems such as thermostats. Biological[edit] Principal Homeostatic processes include the following: Regulation of the pH of the blood at 7.365 (a measure of alkalinity and acidity).All animals also regulate their blood glucose concentration.
Opinion: Biodiversity Impacts Humanity Increasing evidence suggests that loss of Earth’s biological diversity will compromise our planet’s ability to provide the goods and services societies need to prosper. A biosphere designed for the 1967 World Expedition on St Helen's Island in Montreal, QuebecWIKIMEDIA, RENE EHRHARDTRecall the biosphere experiments from the 1990s, the most famous of which was perhaps Biosphere II. Philanthropist Ed Bass provided $200 million to construct the largest completely enclosed ecosystem ever created. Biologists and engineers spent 4 years designing and landscaping Biosphere II to have all of the systems needed to sustain life: agriculture for food production, rainforests to regulate the artificial atmosphere, even a mini-ocean to control temperature. Whether one views Biosphere II as a monumental failure or magnificent learning experience, it was a sobering reminder that we still don’t have even a basic understanding of how to design a biological system that can sustain human life. So what?
Systems thinking Impression of systems thinking about society[1] A system is composed of interrelated parts or components (structures) that cooperate in processes (behavior). Natural systems include biological entities, ocean currents, the climate, the solar system and ecosystems. Designed systems include airplanes, software systems, technologies and machines of all kinds, government agencies and business systems. Systems Thinking has at least some roots in the General System Theory that was advanced by Ludwig von Bertalanffy in the 1940s and furthered by Ross Ashby in the 1950s. Systems thinking has been applied to problem solving, by viewing "problems" as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to specific parts, outcomes or events and potentially contributing to further development of unintended consequences. Systems science thinking attempts to illustrate how small catalytic events that are separated by distance and time can be the cause of significant changes in complex systems.
System dynamics Dynamic stock and flow diagram of model New product adoption (model from article by John Sterman 2001) System dynamics is an approach to understanding the behaviour of complex systems over time. It deals with internal feedback loops and time delays that affect the behaviour of the entire system.[1] What makes using system dynamics different from other approaches to studying complex systems is the use of feedback loops and stocks and flows. These elements help describe how even seemingly simple systems display baffling nonlinearity. Overview[edit] System dynamics (SD) is a methodology and mathematical modeling technique for framing, understanding, and discussing complex issues and problems. Convenient GUI system dynamics software developed into user friendly versions by the 1990s and have been applied to diverse systems. System dynamics is an aspect of systems theory as a method for understanding the dynamic behavior of complex systems. History[edit] Topics in systems dynamics[edit]
Adapting to a New Economy IN HIS 2006 BOOK on evolutionary economics, The Origin of Wealth, McKinsey Global Institute Fellow Eric Beinhocker suggests that new ways of thinking could take economic policy beyond the simplistic paradigm of left versus right. Harnessing the unpredictable complexities of evolutionary selection to spur economic growth and social well-being should be the goal. “We may not be able to predict or direct economic evolution,” Beinhocker writes, “but we can design our institutions and societies to be better or worse evolvers.” An evolution-informed policy would not merely let the free market sort out the strong and profitable from the weak and bankrupt, as Milton Friedman (who used the natural selection analogy in his own essay “The Methodology of Positive Economics”) would have had it. In biology, Hodgson reminds us, evolution does not produce objectively “better” species, but merely species effectively adapted to their current environment. “At the moment, we’re a ways from that.
AVID Leadership Dr. Sandy Husk, Chief Executive Officer Dr. As superintendent of Salem-Keizer Public Schools in Oregon, her leadership resulted in the implementation of a districtwide strategic plan with an accountability system for all schools and departments. Prior to Salem-Keizer Public Schools, Sandy served five years as the director of schools for the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Clarksville, Tennessee. Sandy earned her Ph.D. in Administration, Curriculum & Supervision from the University of Colorado, Denver; her M.A. in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Colorado, Boulder; and her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Georgia, Athens. top Robert Gira – Executive Vice President, Quality, Communications, and Research Rob joined AVID Center in 1994 and is currently responsible for overseeing AVID Center's research, communications, and quality teams. Michelle Mullen – Executive Vice President, Curriculum and Learning Mark S. Granger B. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.