ABSTRACT

Systems Thinking, Critical Realism and Philosophy: A Confluence of Ideas seeks to re-address the whole question of philosophy and systems thinking for the twenty first century and provide a new work that would be of value to both systems and philosophy. This is a highly opportune time when different fields – critical realism, philosophy of science and systems thinking – are all developing around the same set of concepts and yet not realizing it.

This book will be of interest to the academic systems community worldwide and due to it's interdisciplinary coverage, it will also be of relevance to a wide range of scholars in other disciplines, particularly philosophy but also operational research, information systems, and sociology.

part |48 pages

Foundations

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

chapter |18 pages

Philosophical foundations

Critical realism

chapter |21 pages

Systems thinking and critical realism

part |66 pages

Ontological issues

chapter |14 pages

Explanatory mechanisms

chapter |30 pages

Can social systems be autopoietic?

part |53 pages

Epistemological issues

chapter |30 pages

Observing systems

The question of boundaries

chapter |21 pages

Knowledge and forms of truth

part |51 pages

Practical issues

chapter |24 pages

Methodology

What might we do?

chapter |23 pages

Ethics

What should we do?

chapter |2 pages

Conclusion