Traditions of systems theory [Texte imprimé] : major figures and contemporary developments / edited by Darrell P. Arnold

"The term 'systems theory' is used to characterize a set of disparate yet related approaches to fields as varied as information theory, cybernetics, biology, sociology, history, literature, and philosophy. What unites each of these traditions of systems theory is a shared focus on general features of systems and their fundamental importance for diverse areas of life. Yet there are considerable differences among these traditions, and each tradition has developed its own methodologies, journals, and forms of anaylsis. This book explores this terrain and provides an overview of and guide to the traditions of systems theory in their considerable variety. The book draws attention to the traditions of systems theory in their historical development, especially as related to the humanities and social sciences, and shows how from these traditions various contemporary developments have ensued. It provides a guide for strains of thought that are key to understanding 20th century intellectual life in many areas"-- Provided by publisher

Notes bibliogr.

Systems theory : a secret history of the 20th century / Darrell P. Arnold -- The persistence of information theory / Philipp Schweighauser -- Cybernetics : thinking through the technology / Ranulph Glanville -- Expanding the self-referential paradox : the Macy conferences and the second wave of cybernetic thinking / John Bruni -- The hermeneutical system of general systemology : Bertalanffian and other early contributions to its foundations and development / David Pouvreau -- The ethics of epistemology : the work of the constructivist and cybernetician Heinz Von Foerster, from the Vienna Circle to the Cybernetic Circle / Bernhard Pörksen -- Maturana and Varela : from autopoiesis to systems applications? / Bob Mugerauer -- Eugene Odum and the homeostatic ecosystem : the resilience of an idea / Joel Hagen -- Talcott Parsons : a sociological theory of action systems / Bettina Mahlert -- Luhmann : three key concepts, system, meaning, autopoiesis / Walter Reese-Schäfer -- Systems historicized : Wallerstein's World-systems analysis / W.L. Goldfrank -- Systems theories and literary studies / Andrew McMurry -- Systems heuristics and digital culture / Raphael Sassower and Nimrod Bar-Am -- A brief outline of evolutionary cultural ecology / Peter Finke -- Prigogine : the interplay of cosmos, complexity, and culture / Dorothea Olkowski -- Systems theory and practice in organizational change and development / Debora Hammond -- Systems, tools, and Bateson's cybernetics : a joint metalogue / Nora Bateson and Phillip Guddemi