Suchergebnisse

The 20th century saw at least five regions of the world that gave themselves over to unspeakably evil regimes, each resulting in totalitarian dictatorships responsible for horrific suffering and deaths of millions of people. As part of a group of authors involved in various ways in the study of civil society and the common good, this author was invited to address what systems thinking could contribute to understandings of the emergence of such extensive evil. This article develops a qualitative model crafted to capture the generic structure and dynamics of the emergence of extensive evil in a society. Focusing on crucial stocks and flows and feedback loops, the map reveals eight areas where a healthy society may be vulnerable to the spread of such evil, with corresponding areas of resistance pushing back on its apparent inevitability. The paper concludes with reflections on values in systems thinking.

AbstractJay W. Forrester's original statement of the foundations of system dynamics emphasized four 'threads': computing technology, computer simulation, strategic decision making, and the role of feedback in complex systems. Subsequent work has expanded on these to expose the significance in the system dynamics approach of dynamic thinking, stock‐and‐flow thinking, operational thinking, and so on. But the foundation of systems thinking and system dynamics lies deeper than these and is often implicit or even ignored: it is the "endogenous point of view". The paper begins with historical background, clarifies the endogenous point of view, illustrates with examples, and argues that the endogenous point of view is the sine qua non of systems approaches. What expert systems teachers and practitioners have to offer their students and the world is a set of tools, habits of thought, and skills enabling the discovery and understanding of endogenous sources of complex system behavior. Copyright © 2011 System Dynamics Society.

AbstractFounded in the mid‐1950s, the field of system dynamics has intellectual roots reaching much further into the past. This section seeks to publish material from that past that can contribute to current theory and practice. It welcomes previously unpublished but deserving system dynamics work, classics from past system dynamics literature that should receive renewed attention, and previously published articles from other disciplines of particular significance to current system dynamicists. Contributions emphasizing the philosophy and theory of model building, validation, implementation, education, and generic structures are particularly encouraged. Submissions may range in length from notes to main articles but may be edited. Send material, with a brief introduction placing it in historical and current contexts, to John D. Sterman, System Dynamics Group, MIT E40–294, Cambridge, MA 02139, U.S.A.

AbstractNotes and Insights is a forum for discussion and debate about current issues in the philosophy and application of the system dynamics approach, and a marketplace for the exchange of information about current research, policy issues, and teaching experiences. Manuscripts treating material particularly suited to presentation in short form (less than 2,000 words) should be sent to Erich Zahn, Betriebswirtschaft‐liches Institut, Abt. IV, Universität Stuttgart, Keplerstr. 17, D‐7000 Stuttgart 1, Germany.