ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a brief outline of the models, methods, concepts and principles of (general) systems theory, and the mathematical theory of (nonlinear) dynamic systems, since connectionism is considered to belong to the (nonlinear) dynamical systems in the context of the mathematical model typology. This includes the concept of self-organization, the attractor theory, the concept of (non-)linearity, the complexity theory, and the theory of deterministic chaos. The term "(General) System Theory" is usually understood as a transdisciplinary research program. The "Dynamic Systems Theory" describes the behavior of complex dynamic systems with their mathematical functions, concepts, and models, using linear and nonlinear differential equations. The Paradigm of Self-Organization can be defined – in a simplified way – by its basic concept of "self-organization" as a (nonlinear) non-equilibrium process. Self-organization theory is also closely associated with the "Deterministic Chaos Theory" and the associated "Bifurcation Theory", which are characterized by the unpredictability of system behavior due to the sensitive dependence on initial conditions.
