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PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY				Spring 2000
Systems Science Ph.D. Program				MW 4:00 - 5:50
Professor Martin Zwick					SySc Bldg, Rm 102
725-4987						zwick@sysc.pdx.edu


S Y S T E M S   P H I L O S O P H Y (SySc 510-610)


This seminar will consider some philosophical issues central to the systems 
field.  Fundamental to these issues is Bunge's conception of systems science 
as a research program aimed at the construction of "an exact and scientific 
metaphysics," that is, a set of concepts, models, and theories of broad 
generality and philosophical import, which are applicable to the sciences, 
and which are cast (or capable ultimately of being cast) in the exact 
language of mathematics.

The course will be centered principally around the theme of "problems."  It 
will present and attempt to integrate a broad range of systems ideas (from 
information theory, game theory, thermodynamics, non-linear dynamics, 
decision theory, and many other areas) into a coherent conceptual framework, 
all focused upon the fundamental "difficulties" (imperfections, modes of 
failure) encountered by systems of widely differing types.  While most of 
these ideas are mathematically-based, they will be approached in this course 
primarily at a conceptual level (with mathematical details provided as 
requested).  Many of these systems ideas derive from the natural sciences 
and engineering, but they apply as well to the social sciences and other 
fields of professional practice (business, the helping professions, etc.).  
It is their relevance to the human domain -- to individuals, groups, 
organizations, and societies -- and to technology which motivates attempting 
this kind of synthesis.  Certain of these ideas pertain also to the arts 
and humanities.

This course draws mainly upon the literatures of general systems theory and 
cybernetics, which launched the systems research program, now more familiar 
as the study of chaos, complexity, and "complex adaptive systems."  While 
the contemporary renaissance of systems theory has brought major scientific 
advances, the older, "classical," traditions of GST/cybernetics articulated 
the essence of the systems project in a broader and deeper way.  Seminal 
writings of systems scientists and philosophers such as Boulding, Deutsch, 
Emery & Trist, Jansch, Laszlo, Bateson, Wiener, and others will be discussed.

Readings will be from (1) a collection of xeroxed articles and selections 
from books, plus (2) the manuscript of a book (working title: Elements and 
Relations) now being written by the instructor, which attempts to achieve 
the integration spoken of above.

Both will be obtainable at SmartCopy, 1915 SW 6th (227-6137).

Course work: term paper (( 25 dbl.-spaced pages [for non-mathematical papers]
+ bibl.) and class participation