A Theory of Society Derived from the Principles of Systems, Psychology, Ecology, & Evolution
The lack of a unified theory of human society is hampering our ability to tackle the self-induced existential threats that we currently face. This paper presents a practical social systems theory that addresses that absence. Furthermore, because the theory has been derived largely from the principles of systems science, ecology, and evolution, it has a broader application to natural ecosystems, artificial ones, and the interactions between them and the human species. The theory draws on an empirical observation of society; the principles of systems science to describe the general structure of society; on the principles of ecology to describe the ways in which two components of society can interact; and on the principles of psychology and evolution to demonstrate how those interactions can alter with time. The principles employed are fundamental to the field from which they were derived, are broadly accepted by practitioners in those fields, and were obtained by research of the literature. What is new, in this paper, is the combined application of principles from these different fields to human society. The result is a model that accurately reflects real situations involving social units of all sizes from individuals, through organisations, to nations. Methods are suggested for symbolising, diagramming, and analysing these interactions and how they change over time. This provides a basis for better understanding the causes of the threats that humanity and the natural world faces, and for designing interventions to counter them. This paper is targeted at a broad audience which may include specialists from various disciplines. Interpretation of the language used and the concepts that underpin this theory may differ from individual to individual and from discipline to discipline. No prior knowledge is assumed, therefore. Furthermore, the paper is written in plain English and, where any technical terms have been used, they are clearly defined.
The Mathematics of Language and Thought, Volume 1
This substantial, two volume work, has taken 23 years to complete. It presents a new axiom based meta-language which unifies all branches of formal logic, probability theory, set theory, causality, and basic mathematics. It also describes the deep structure of natural language and natural human reasoning. Volume 1 provides the theory and Volume 2 the formal proofs.
The purpose of the book is to make formal logic and reasoning more accessible to non-specialists, and does so by providing a single, intuitive form of symbolism which can be manipulated in a similar manner to algebra. Unlike algebra, however, only the rules of the meta-language itself, and none from other systems, are used in this manipulation. The language lies, therefore, at the foundation of human reasoning.
The meta-language contains several innovations. It treats everything as a bounded entity in space-time, i.e., as a system, including relationships and information. It also improves on conventional set theory, tense logic, epistemic logic, and complex causality. Importantly, it offers a means of manipulating qualitative concepts such as those found in the social sciences, as well as the quantitative concepts to which conventional mathematics is applied.
The Mathematics of Language and Thought, Volume 2
This book contains the mathematical proofs in support of Volume 1
Symbolic Reasoning in a Nutshell
This short document explains the basic symbolism used in my book, The Mathematics of Language and Thought.
Social Systems Theory in Practice – An Example
Intuitively, many of us sense that there are intangible “forces” that are beyond our individual control and that shape our society. In this article, I draw together the information provided in my previous articles on evolution, psychology, organisations, and systems theory, to show that these intangible “forces” are, in fact, tangible processes. These processes provide an understanding of why society is as it is. To a limited extent, the processes also provide an understanding of where society is heading unless we intervene.
Systems Theory from a Cognitive and Physicalist Perspective (4)
Abstract
This paper, 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” (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.
A Systems Model of Human Organisation
This short monograph describes a model of human society based on the principles of general systems theory. The model can help us to understand human interaction at all levels. It can also be used to identify behavioural changes which might lead to social improvements such as the prevention of conflict and the alleviation of poverty.
A Systems Model of Leadership and Followership
This monograph follows on from A Systems Model of Human Organisation. It describes the processes involved in the command or leadership components and in subordinate or follower components of human society. It recommended that it be read in conjunction with the two sets of diagrams below which support it.
Logic Causality and Systems
This set of Powerpoint slides describes a means of translating systems and causal processes into symbolic logic.
Leader & Follower Process Diagrams
This is a set of A3 causality diagrams which illustrate the processes described in “A Systems Model o the processes involved set of A3 diagrams.
Rational Understanding – Articles 1 to 42
On 4th June, 2022, I had been posting at Rational-Understanding.com for a year. This first year’s articles are combined here into a small booklet.
How Organisations and Hierarchies Arise
Articles 53 to 70 combined to form a single pdf document.
How to Reunite a Nation
This articles offers a solution to divisive politics in the USA.
The Relationship between National Fragility Trust and Religion
In this article I compare data taken from the World Values Survey and the Fragile States Index which shed some light on why people follow a religion. Cause and effect are unclear, suggesting that feedback processes are involved. This article investigates those processes in some detail and finds that the relationship between the three factors is complex. The article also provides a general model that is applicable to circumstances in which any two competing cultures, ideologies, or cults draw on the same population.
Rational-Understanding.com 