General System Theory

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General System Theory

• 2003.11.10
• Daewon kim

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Contents

• Summary
• General system theory in education
• Science and society
• Living machine and its limitation
• Conclusion
• Reference

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Summary

• Motivation of System theory
• Similar problems and conceptions have evolved in
  widely different fields
• There are general system laws which apply to any
  system
• Definition of System
• Sets of elements standing in interrelation
• Type of System
• Open, Closed system

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Summary

• System theory
• There exist models, principle, and laws that
  apply to generalized systems or their subclasses
• The whole is more that the sum of its parts
• There are general system laws which apply to any
  system of a particular type
• General theory of systems would be a useful tool
  and providing on models that can be used in
  different fields

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General system theory in education

• The education of scientific generalists
• Need for a simpler, more unified approach to
• scientific problems
• we often hear that "one man can no longer cover a
  broad enough field and that "there is too much
  narrow specialization
• Any research group needs a generalist
• Generalist would naturally be concerned with
  system problems. These problems arise whenever
  parts are made into a balanced whole.

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Science and society

• Knowledge of the laws of physics is excellent,
• - our technological control of inanimate nature
  
• almost unlimited
• Knowledge of biological laws is not so far
• sufficient to allow for a good amount of
  biological technology in modern medicine and
  applied biology
• The application of the modern methods of
  scientific agriculture, husbandry, etc would well
  suffice to sustain a human population
• lacking is knowledge of the laws of human
  society, a sociological technology.

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Science and society

• The achievements of physics do efficient
  destruction
• we have famines in vast parts of the world while
  harvests rot or are destroyed in other parts war
  and indiscriminate annihilation of human life,
  culture,
• They are the outcome of the fact that we know and
  control physical forces only too well, biological
  forces tolerably well, and social forces not at
  all.
• If we would have a well-developed science of
  human society and a corresponding technology, it
  would be the way out of chaos and impending
  destruction of our present world.

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Living machine and its limitation

• What is the difference between a normal, a sick
  and
• a dead the standpoint of physics and chemistry ?
• the difference is not definable
• In terms of physics and chemistry,
• a living organism is an aggregate of processes
  by means of chemical formulas, mathematical
  equations, and laws of nature.
• These processes different in a living, sick or
  dead
• The laws of physics do not tell a difference,
  they are not interested in whether dogs are alive
  or dead.
• DNA molecule, protein, enzyme is determined by
  physical
• or chemical laws, none is better and healthier
  than other.

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Living machine and its limitation

• We need Model to define and explain organism
• Concept of animal by mechanical machine in 17th
  century
• Muscle, heart by mechanical principle of levers,
  pumps
• By heat engine when steam engine was introduced.
• By cybernetic machine when self-regulating
  machine came
• The machine model of organism has limitations
• Origin of machine
• Regulation
• Living organism exchange of components metabolism

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Conclusion

• Know what system and system theory is
• Important thing is not part but whole in system
• To solve some problem in system, concern
• whole system

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Reference

• Ludwig Von Bertalanffy (1968) General System
  theory Foundations, Development, Applications
• http//www.bsu.edu/classes/flint/systems.html