Education – Rational-Understanding.com

Ontological Foundations of General Systems Theory

I’m pleased to share the publication of my latest paper:

Ontological Foundations of General Systems Theory

This paper is the second in a series on General Systems Theory. It sets out a clear, physically grounded framework for understanding reality in systems terms. It brings together concepts of space-time, entities, structure, relationships, causality, and change into a single coherent ontology.

The aim is not to introduce new complexity, but to clarify the foundations on which systems theory rests; providing a consistent basis for analysing systems across physical, biological, and social domains.

The paper is available via the following links:

🔗Academia: https://www.academia.edu/165495501/Ontological_Foundations_of_General_Systems_Theory

🔗Website: https://rational-understanding.com/efgst

Alongside the paper, I have also added a new set of course modules to an existing General Systems Theory (GST) course. These modules correspond to the ontological foundations developed in the paper and are designed to make the concepts accessible through plain-English explanations, diagrams, and practical exercises.

The course materials are available in two ways:

🔗Open access (self-paced): via my website https://rational-understanding.com/gst-course/
🔗Supported learning: via Google Classroom through the ISSS Student SIG.

Those in full-time or part-time education are especially encouraged to join the Student SIG, where they can benefit from guidance by experienced systems scientists, discussion with fellow learners, and access to a wider international community. To join go to : https://isss.org

I hope these resources are useful to those interested in systems theory.

Learn More about Systems Science

I have made much mention of Systems Science in my recent articles. If you would like to learn more on this topic, then I recommend following Shingai Thornton’s blog at: https://systemsexplorers.substack.com/

Shingai is a member of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) and will write about the topic on a weekly basis. Each article takes about 5 to 10 minutes to read.

Initially, they will focus on making some of the core concepts in George
Mobus’ Principles of Systems Science textbook easily accessible to a
broader audience who might not have time to read the book.

Shingai is an aspiring systems scientist looking for critical feedback on his writing, and collaborations around the application of systems science to issues in the social sciences. He is receiving advice from George and other members of the ISSS education committee and together they are also developing an online course based on the book.