Autopoiesis

Jon-Arild Johannessen

pp. 239-243

in: Frank A. Stowell, Ray Ison, Rosalind Armson, Jacky Holloway, Sue Jackson (eds), Systems for sustainability, Berlin, Springer, 1997

Abstract

By systemic (Bunge, 1983; 1983a; 1985; 1985a) is meant that the parts and the entire structure must be viewed in context. In systemic thinking, the main question is: What is the pattern which combine a given phenomenon or problem? The noticeable thing about patterns is that it is difficult to pinpoint cause and effect. A pattern can metaphorically be regarded as a circle, and a circle has no beginning or end.