Systems Research and Behavioral Science articles from May 2002

Systems Research and Behavioral Science archives from May 2002

Editorial.
May 1, 2002... This edition of Systems Research and Behavioral Science contains an inspiring collection of five research papers and two research notes. John P. van Gigch presents the first part of an important exploration of the epistemological concerns and...

Comparing the epistemologies of scientific disciplines in two distinct domains: modern physics versus social sciences. (Research Paper).
May 1, 2002... I. The Epistemology and Knowledge Characteristics of the Physical Sciences INTRODUCTION The present article surveys the main epistemological concerns of a scientific discipline. The intent is to compare the epistemologies of...

The tetrahedron of knowledge acquisition: a meta-model of the relations among observation, conceptualization, evaluation and action in the research on socio-ecological systems. (Research Paper).
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION This meta-model of system methodology was inspired by colloquia given under the auspices of the Chair of Ecological Agriculture at Wageningen Agricultural University. In one colloquium the System Dynamics frame of reference...

Managing viable knowledge. (Research Paper).
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Knowledge is widely appreciated as central to the viability of organizations. In theory and practice, knowledge is perceived as a strategic resource (Machlup, 1980; Druker, 1993; Nonaka, 1994; Blackler, 1995; Davenport and...

The autopoiesis of educational organizations: the impact of the organizational setting on educational interaction. (Research Paper).
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION At present, education often takes place in an organized setting. From the end of the eighteenth century onward, the educational system has unmistakably become differentiated--into the non-organized family and the organized...

Connection matters: exploring the implications of social capital and social networks for social policy. (Research Paper).
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND What is social capital? Some say it is a useful metaphor that suggests that a society with a rich web of relationships and widespread participation in community organizations will flourish, and that individuals...

Is the wind, or the flag, moving? An oriental perspective on the complex problem. (Notes and Insights).(societal systems from an Easter perspective)
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to explore the complex problem of societal system from an Eastern perspective. The authors' arguments are primarily grounded in three oriental disciplines of thought; Confucianism, Taoism and...

Non-trivial solutions to the N-person Prisoners' Dilemma. (Notes and Insights).(interactive psychological game regarding decision making)
May 1, 2002... INTRODUCTION Prisoners' Dilemma is usually defined between two players (Axelrod, 1984) and within game theory that assumes that the players act rationally. Realistic investigations of collective behavior, however, require a multi-person...

Meeting on Megacity, Vulnerability and Resilience. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The second annual meeting of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University on Integrated Disaster Risk Management: Megacity, Vulnerability and...

The Performance of Social Systems: Perspectives and Problems.
May 1, 2002... By Francisco Parra-Luna. Published by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, 2000, 397 pp., ISBN 0-306-46309-1, $99.50 (hardback) This book seeks to address the concept of the performance of social systems. Social systems are characterized as...

Tending Adam's Garden: Evolving the Cognitive Immune Self.
May 1, 2002... By Irun R. Cohen. Published by Academic Press, New York, 2000, 266 pp., ISBN 0-12-178355-3, 31.95 [pounds sterling] Heraclitus (500 BC) said once that `Men who love wisdom must be good inquirers into many things indeed'. This statement...