This paper, is available for download in pdf form at https://rational-understanding.com/my-books#Systems-Theory-from-a-Cognitive-and-Physicalist-Perspective
It was originally published in January, 2023, has been updated to include observations from:
- “A Conceptual Framework for General System Theory”, John A. Challoner, March, 2024.
- “Different Interpretations of Systems Terms” sent to the Research towards a General Systems Theory SIG of the International Society for the Systems Sciences’ in April, 2024.
- “The Mathematics of Language and Thought”, John A. Challoner, 2021.
The paper discusses systems theory from a cognitive and physicalist perspective. The cognitive perspective holds that we are our minds and cannot escape the constraints imposed by their biology and evolutionary history. Nevertheless, human cognition is a reasonably accurate representation of reality. Physicalism holds that space-time comprises the whole of reality and that everything, including abstract concepts and information, exists within it.
From this perspective, conceptual and theoretical frameworks for systems theory are proposed and described. Concepts include: the importance of structure; the nature of relationships, causality, and physical laws; and the significance of recursion, hierarchy, holism, and emergence. Human cognitive factors are also discussed, including: their limitations; the nature of information and language; and the search for knowledge in a world of complexity and apparent disorder.
The paper includes the implications of this perspective for General System Theory and Social Systems Theory, suggesting further work to advance those disciplines.
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