International Society for the Systems Sciences (original) (raw)

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Professional organization

International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS)
Founded 1954
Type Professional Organization
Focus Systems sciences
Location Tennessee, United States
Origins Society for General Systems Research (SGSR)
Area served Worldwide
Method Special Integration Groups, Conferences, Publications
Key people Roelien Goede (current president), George Mobus (past president), Jennifer Makar (VP of Administration)
Website www.isss.org/home/

The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) is a worldwide organization for systems sciences. The overall purpose of the ISSS is:[1]

to promote the development of conceptual frameworks based on general system theory, as well as their implementation in practice. It further seeks to encourage research and facilitate communication between and among scientists and professionals from various disciplines and professions at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Initially conceived in 1954 as the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory, and started in 1955/56, the Society for General Systems Research became the first interdisciplinary and international co-operation in the field of systems theory and systems science.[2] In 1988 it was renamed to the International Society for the Systems Sciences.

The society was initiated in 1954 by biologists Ludwig von Bertalanffy and Ralph Gerard, economist Kenneth Boulding, and mathematician Anatol Rapoport at the Stanford Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. They called a meeting at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Berkeley in 1954. At this meeting, attended by seventy people, the society was conceived as the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory.[3] The next year Boulding, Gerard and Rapoport started working with James Grier Miller at the Mental Health Research Institute of the University of Michigan. There the society got underway as "Society for General Systems Research".

The statement of the mission of the society was formulated with the following four objectives:[4]

In the 1960s local chapters were established in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, and Florida.[5] Annual meetings were held in the winter, and annually a General Systems Yearbook was published. Periodical articles were published in the society's journal Behavioral Science, and additionally "The Bulletin" offered regional and thematic publications.

In 1971 the Society had 1100 individual and 6 institutional members, and a membership in some societies affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[6] In 1988, the society was renamed the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS).[7] to "reflect its broadening scope".[8]

Important activities of the Society are:

A listing of the Special Integration Groups (SIGs) gives an idea of the themes of ongoing development in the Society:[9]

Among the Presidents of ISSS have been foremost scientists from several fields and countries, including some Nobel laureates:[10]

Yiannis Laouris, 2025–2026 Gary R. Smith, 2024–2025 Michele Friend, 2023–2024 Roelien Goede, 2022–2023 George Mobus, 2021–2022 Delia MacNamara, 2020–2021 Shankar Sankaran, 2019–2020 Peter D. Tuddenham, 2018–2019 David Rousseau, 2017–2018 Ockie Bosch, 2016–2017 John Kineman, 2015–2016 Ray Ison, 2014–2015 Gerald Midgley, 2013–2014 Alexander Laszlo, 2012–2013 David Ing, 2011–2012 Jennifer Wilby, 2010–2011 Allenna Leonard, 2009–2010 Timothy F. H. Allen, 2008–2009 Gary Metcalf, 2007–2008 Kyoichi Kijima, 2006–2007 Debora Hammond, 2005–2006 Enrique Herrscher, 2004–2005 Kenneth D. Bailey, 2003 Alexander Christakis, 2002 Michael C. Jackson, 2001 Harold G. Nelson, 2000 Peter Corning, 1999 Béla A. Bánáthy, 1998 G. A. Swanson, 1997 Yong Pil Rhee, 1996 Ervin Laszlo, 1995 J. Donald R. de Raadt, 1994 Harold A. Linstone, 1993 Ian I. Mitroff, 1992 Howard T. Odum 1991 Len R. Troncale, 1990 C. West Churchman 1989 Ilya Prigogine, 1988 Russell L. Ackoff, 1987 Peter Checkland, 1986 John A. Dillon, 1985 Bela H. Banathy, 1984 Karl Deutsch, 1983 John N. Warfield, 1982 George Klir, 1981 Robert Rosen, 1980 Brian R. Gaines, 1979 Richard F. Ericson, 1978 Geoffrey Vickers, 1977 Heinz von Foerster, 1976 Kjell Samuelson, 1975 Gordon Pask, 1974 James Grier Miller, 1973 Margaret Mead, 1972 Stafford Beer, 1971 Bertram Gross, 1970 Lawrence Slobodkin, 1969 Milton Rubin, 1968 John Milsum, 1967 Peter Caws, 1966 Anatol Rapoport, 1965 W. Ross Ashby 1962–1964 Charles A. McClelland 1959–1961 Kenneth E. Boulding, 1957–58

Sir Geoffrey Vickers Memorial Award

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The Sir Geoffrey Vickers Memorial Award is an annual award in memory of Sir Geoffrey Vickers for outstanding student papers at the pre-doctoral level in the field of the systems sciences. A listing of recipients:[11]

  1. ^ International Society for the Systems Sciences: Bylaws
  2. ^ Jessica Kuper, Adam Kuper (1985) The Social Science Encyclopedia. p.330 confirms that the general systems movement was initially represented by the Society for General Systems Research.
  3. ^ Mark Davidson (1983) Uncommon sense: the life and thought of Ludwig von Bertalanffy. p.19
  4. ^ "Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory" in: General program. Vol.124. American Association for the Advancement of Science (1956) p.223
  5. ^ Scientific and Technical Societies of the United States. Vol 8 (1968), p.159
  6. ^ National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) (1971). Scientific, technical and related societies of the United States. 9th edition. National academy of sciences, 1971. ISBN 0309018609. p.171
  7. ^ SGSR History at nndb.com.
  8. ^ "International Society for the Systems Sciences: Overview". Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
  9. ^ ISSS introduction on the ISFR website 2007.
  10. ^ International Society for the Systems Sciences: Past Presidents
  11. ^ International Society for the Systems Sciences: Student Awards