On the Solving of Ill-Structured Problems

This paper contains three sections. The first provides a discussion of the seminal papers on the solving of ill-structured problems, those of Reitman (1965) and of Simon (1973). The second consists of comments on the chapters of Johnson and Lawrence (this volume), along with a presentation of some of our own work on the solving of such problems in the social science domain. The final section describes a number of general issues that require consideration if a better understanding of the solving of such problems is to be established.