ABSTRACT
Virtually unheard of ten years ago except among the ranks of electronic engineers, systems theory is now well on the way to becoming part of the daily small-talk in academic circles. Still very imperfectly understood, even by the smart set of the intelligentsia, its terminology is fast becoming fashionable; and already its methods colour, if they do not actually characterize, modes of inquiry in a wide range of disciplines. Typical examples of its influence are to be found in Professor W. J. M. Mackenzie's Politics and Social Science and David L. Clarke's Analytical Archaeology, both of which seek to apply cybernetic concepts and techniques to their own speciality.
