Jennifer Wilby | University of Hull (original) (raw)
Papers by Jennifer Wilby
MAURICE YOLLES, VP for Research and Publications
In this paper we examine the systemic methodological choices involved in studying the ethical dec... more In this paper we examine the systemic methodological choices involved in studying the ethical decision space within which Chinese women come to decide to attend an American university in pursuit of a business education. In the research we wished to develop insight about the role of the student herself in the decision-making process in relation to others involved. Insofar as the decision-making process involves a multitude of interacting influences, the researchers conceived of this space as a system of people and ideas that contribute a sense of the “rightness” of studying abroad in a young adult Chinese woman’s life. From a research design perspective, exploring a decision space like this was not straightforward. We were studying what we conceived as a systemic ethical decision-making phenomenon, fraught with the difficulties inherent in cross-cultural data collection. This research was not designed to critique the complex decision-making processes that study participants had engag...
We believe that a general theory of systems is attainable in principle and would be valuable in p... more We believe that a general theory of systems is attainable in principle and would be valuable in practice. In this paper we present our perspective on the key projects to be undertaken and key questions to be addressed for a program to develop a general systems transdiscipline and put it into effective use. In our view this program is urgent and important, and we urge the systems community to support efforts to make this potential a reality.
The search for a General Systems Theory (GST) formally became a scientific enterprise with the fo... more The search for a General Systems Theory (GST) formally became a scientific enterprise with the founding of the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory (living on today as the International Society for the Systems Sciences) in 1954. Many scientific advances have been made towards a GST, but GST is still incomplete and there is a rich ongoing debate about the nature, structure and value of GST. In this paper we argue that the general theory of a discipline has a generic structure, which can be inferred by attending to the process by which disciplines build up their knowledge base. We develop a model of this generic structure and then use it to envision the structure and scope of GST. This provides a principled baseline for assessing the developmental status of GST, planning work towards its completion, and defending the potential value of GST.
The field of systems is still a nascent academic discipline, with a high degree of fragmentation,... more The field of systems is still a nascent academic discipline, with a high degree of fragmentation, no common perspective on the disciplinary structure of the systems domain, and many ambiguities in its use of the term “General Systems Theory”. In this paper we develop a generic model for the structure of a discipline (of any kind) and of disciplinary fields of all kinds, and use this to develop a Typology for the domain of systems. We identify the domain of systems as a transdisciplinary field, and propose calling it “Systemology” and its unifying theory GST* (pronounced “G-S-T-star”). We propose names for other major components of the field, and present a tentative map of the systems field, highlighting key gaps and shortcomings. We argue that such a model of the systems field can be helpful for guiding the development of Systemology into a fully-fledged academic field, and for understanding the relationships between Systemology as a transdisciplinary field and the specialized disciplines with which it is engaged.
s The abstract should give an overview of your main theses, methods by which you plan to support ... more s The abstract should give an overview of your main theses, methods by which you plan to support your ideas and, if appropriate, a description of the case studies you plan to present. Abstracts can be a full page in length, figures may be included, but do not go over the one page limit. Use the paper style guidelines for abstract style. Abstracts do not need to be submitted on disc. For presentations at the distributed site abstracts must be submitted to Dr Bela Banathy. If relevant, state ins can be a full page in length, figures may be included, but do not go over the one page limit. Use the paper style guidelines for abstract style. Abstracts do not need to be submitted on disc. For presentations at the distributed site abstracts must be submitted to Dr Bela Banathy. If relevant, state in
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
In this chapter, we develop a detailed discussion about the nature and evolution of general princ... more In this chapter, we develop a detailed discussion about the nature and evolution of general principles in science, how they relate to worldviews, laws, theories and theoretical virtues. We then apply this analysis to systems principles, to develop strategies for deriving general scientific systems principles. By applying these insights and also the conclusions from previous chapters we then present work done to discover three general scientific systems principles, and discuss some of the practical implications of these principles.
In August 2015 the authors launched their Manifesto for General Systems Transdisciplinarity at th... more In August 2015 the authors launched their Manifesto for General Systems Transdisciplinarity at the annual conference of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. In this paper we discuss our motivation for undertaking this project, give an overview of key research we conducted to assure the possibility and importance of establishing such a transdiscipline, and reproduce the Manifesto in full.
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
The search for a foundational general systems theory (GST*) formally became a scientific enterpri... more The search for a foundational general systems theory (GST*) formally became a scientific enterprise with the founding of the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory in 1954. Many scientific advances have been made towards a GST*, but GST* is still incomplete and there is a rich ongoing debate about the nature, structure and value of GST*. In this chapter we argue that the general theory of a discipline has a generic structure, which can be inferred by attending to the process by which disciplines build up their knowledge base. We develop a model of this generic structure and then use it to envision the structure and scope of GST*. This provides a principled baseline for assessing the developmental status of GST*, planning work towards its completion, and defending the potential value of GST*.
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating a... more The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating and inter-relating the principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of concrete systems. We call this theory GST* (“g-s-t-star”) to disambiguate it from other uses of the term “GST” prevalent in the literature. GST* is still radically underdeveloped, but its nature can be analysed. GST* is a formal theory, because the principles of GST* would apply across all kinds of systems, that is, GST* would predict behaviours and structures of systems qua systems, without regard for the kind of system under consideration, and hence it is neutral with respect to ontology.
The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating a... more The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating and inter-relating the principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of concrete systems. We call this theory GST* (“g-s-t-star”) to disambiguate it from other uses of the term “GST” prevalent in the literature. GST* is still radically underdeveloped, but its nature can be analysed. GST* is a formal theory, because the principles of GST* would apply across all kinds of systems, that is, GST* would predict behaviours and structures of systems qua systems, without regard for the kind of system under consideration, and hence it is neutral with respect to ontology. There is a long-standing controversy within the systems community about whether a GST* actually exists, whether it would be of practical value, and how its principles might be discovered. In this paper we argue by analogy from the history of science that if a GST* existed it would be highly valuable, and show that ...
The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta... more The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta-discipline’ grounded in a “General Systems Theory” (GST*), a theory that encompasses universal principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of “real-world” systems. In contemporary terms we can identify this as a vision for a “transdiscipline” and we discuss its relationship to other conceptions of transdisciplinarity. In line with arguments presented elsewhere we identify this transdiscipline as “General Systemology”, and the application of it as “General Systems Transdisciplinarity” (GSTD). The founders of the general systems movement argued that GSTD would be important for assisting the transfer knowledge between disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary communication, supporting the development of exact models in areas where they are lacking, and promoting the “unity” of knowledge. In this chapter we defend this view, and infer that the scope and range of GSTD is wid...
The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta... more The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta-discipline’ grounded in a “General Systems Theory” (GST), a theory that encompasses universal principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of “real-world” systems. In contemporary terms we can identify this as a vision for a “transdiscipline” and we discuss its relationship to other conceptions of transdisciplinarity. In line with arguments presented elsewhere we identify this transdiscipline as “General Systemology”, and the application of it “General Systems Transdisciplinarity” (GSTD). The founders of the general systems movement argued that GSTD would be important for assisting the transfer knowledge between disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary communication, supporting the development of exact models in areas where they are lacking, and promoting the “unity” of knowledge. In this paper we defend this view, and infer that the scope and range of GSTD is wider...
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
MAURICE YOLLES, VP for Research and Publications
In this paper we examine the systemic methodological choices involved in studying the ethical dec... more In this paper we examine the systemic methodological choices involved in studying the ethical decision space within which Chinese women come to decide to attend an American university in pursuit of a business education. In the research we wished to develop insight about the role of the student herself in the decision-making process in relation to others involved. Insofar as the decision-making process involves a multitude of interacting influences, the researchers conceived of this space as a system of people and ideas that contribute a sense of the “rightness” of studying abroad in a young adult Chinese woman’s life. From a research design perspective, exploring a decision space like this was not straightforward. We were studying what we conceived as a systemic ethical decision-making phenomenon, fraught with the difficulties inherent in cross-cultural data collection. This research was not designed to critique the complex decision-making processes that study participants had engag...
We believe that a general theory of systems is attainable in principle and would be valuable in p... more We believe that a general theory of systems is attainable in principle and would be valuable in practice. In this paper we present our perspective on the key projects to be undertaken and key questions to be addressed for a program to develop a general systems transdiscipline and put it into effective use. In our view this program is urgent and important, and we urge the systems community to support efforts to make this potential a reality.
The search for a General Systems Theory (GST) formally became a scientific enterprise with the fo... more The search for a General Systems Theory (GST) formally became a scientific enterprise with the founding of the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory (living on today as the International Society for the Systems Sciences) in 1954. Many scientific advances have been made towards a GST, but GST is still incomplete and there is a rich ongoing debate about the nature, structure and value of GST. In this paper we argue that the general theory of a discipline has a generic structure, which can be inferred by attending to the process by which disciplines build up their knowledge base. We develop a model of this generic structure and then use it to envision the structure and scope of GST. This provides a principled baseline for assessing the developmental status of GST, planning work towards its completion, and defending the potential value of GST.
The field of systems is still a nascent academic discipline, with a high degree of fragmentation,... more The field of systems is still a nascent academic discipline, with a high degree of fragmentation, no common perspective on the disciplinary structure of the systems domain, and many ambiguities in its use of the term “General Systems Theory”. In this paper we develop a generic model for the structure of a discipline (of any kind) and of disciplinary fields of all kinds, and use this to develop a Typology for the domain of systems. We identify the domain of systems as a transdisciplinary field, and propose calling it “Systemology” and its unifying theory GST* (pronounced “G-S-T-star”). We propose names for other major components of the field, and present a tentative map of the systems field, highlighting key gaps and shortcomings. We argue that such a model of the systems field can be helpful for guiding the development of Systemology into a fully-fledged academic field, and for understanding the relationships between Systemology as a transdisciplinary field and the specialized disciplines with which it is engaged.
s The abstract should give an overview of your main theses, methods by which you plan to support ... more s The abstract should give an overview of your main theses, methods by which you plan to support your ideas and, if appropriate, a description of the case studies you plan to present. Abstracts can be a full page in length, figures may be included, but do not go over the one page limit. Use the paper style guidelines for abstract style. Abstracts do not need to be submitted on disc. For presentations at the distributed site abstracts must be submitted to Dr Bela Banathy. If relevant, state ins can be a full page in length, figures may be included, but do not go over the one page limit. Use the paper style guidelines for abstract style. Abstracts do not need to be submitted on disc. For presentations at the distributed site abstracts must be submitted to Dr Bela Banathy. If relevant, state in
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
In this chapter, we develop a detailed discussion about the nature and evolution of general princ... more In this chapter, we develop a detailed discussion about the nature and evolution of general principles in science, how they relate to worldviews, laws, theories and theoretical virtues. We then apply this analysis to systems principles, to develop strategies for deriving general scientific systems principles. By applying these insights and also the conclusions from previous chapters we then present work done to discover three general scientific systems principles, and discuss some of the practical implications of these principles.
In August 2015 the authors launched their Manifesto for General Systems Transdisciplinarity at th... more In August 2015 the authors launched their Manifesto for General Systems Transdisciplinarity at the annual conference of the International Society for the Systems Sciences. In this paper we discuss our motivation for undertaking this project, give an overview of key research we conducted to assure the possibility and importance of establishing such a transdiscipline, and reproduce the Manifesto in full.
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
The search for a foundational general systems theory (GST*) formally became a scientific enterpri... more The search for a foundational general systems theory (GST*) formally became a scientific enterprise with the founding of the Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory in 1954. Many scientific advances have been made towards a GST*, but GST* is still incomplete and there is a rich ongoing debate about the nature, structure and value of GST*. In this chapter we argue that the general theory of a discipline has a generic structure, which can be inferred by attending to the process by which disciplines build up their knowledge base. We develop a model of this generic structure and then use it to envision the structure and scope of GST*. This provides a principled baseline for assessing the developmental status of GST*, planning work towards its completion, and defending the potential value of GST*.
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018
The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating a... more The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating and inter-relating the principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of concrete systems. We call this theory GST* (“g-s-t-star”) to disambiguate it from other uses of the term “GST” prevalent in the literature. GST* is still radically underdeveloped, but its nature can be analysed. GST* is a formal theory, because the principles of GST* would apply across all kinds of systems, that is, GST* would predict behaviours and structures of systems qua systems, without regard for the kind of system under consideration, and hence it is neutral with respect to ontology.
The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating a... more The founders of the general systems movement envisaged the development of a theory articulating and inter-relating the principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of concrete systems. We call this theory GST* (“g-s-t-star”) to disambiguate it from other uses of the term “GST” prevalent in the literature. GST* is still radically underdeveloped, but its nature can be analysed. GST* is a formal theory, because the principles of GST* would apply across all kinds of systems, that is, GST* would predict behaviours and structures of systems qua systems, without regard for the kind of system under consideration, and hence it is neutral with respect to ontology. There is a long-standing controversy within the systems community about whether a GST* actually exists, whether it would be of practical value, and how its principles might be discovered. In this paper we argue by analogy from the history of science that if a GST* existed it would be highly valuable, and show that ...
The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta... more The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta-discipline’ grounded in a “General Systems Theory” (GST*), a theory that encompasses universal principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of “real-world” systems. In contemporary terms we can identify this as a vision for a “transdiscipline” and we discuss its relationship to other conceptions of transdisciplinarity. In line with arguments presented elsewhere we identify this transdiscipline as “General Systemology”, and the application of it as “General Systems Transdisciplinarity” (GSTD). The founders of the general systems movement argued that GSTD would be important for assisting the transfer knowledge between disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary communication, supporting the development of exact models in areas where they are lacking, and promoting the “unity” of knowledge. In this chapter we defend this view, and infer that the scope and range of GSTD is wid...
The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta... more The pioneers of the general systems movement envisioned the development of a new scientific ‘meta-discipline’ grounded in a “General Systems Theory” (GST), a theory that encompasses universal principles underlying the systemic behaviours of all kinds of “real-world” systems. In contemporary terms we can identify this as a vision for a “transdiscipline” and we discuss its relationship to other conceptions of transdisciplinarity. In line with arguments presented elsewhere we identify this transdiscipline as “General Systemology”, and the application of it “General Systems Transdisciplinarity” (GSTD). The founders of the general systems movement argued that GSTD would be important for assisting the transfer knowledge between disciplines, facilitating interdisciplinary communication, supporting the development of exact models in areas where they are lacking, and promoting the “unity” of knowledge. In this paper we defend this view, and infer that the scope and range of GSTD is wider...
Translational Systems Sciences, 2018