antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 2:30 am on October 1, 2024
Tags: systems thinking ( 6 )

Updated rough draft systems | complexity | cybernetics reading list

See my post on LinkedIn (replicated below) and join the discussion there:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_rough-draft-systemscomplexitycybernetics-activity-7246779585235664896-64Xz

pdf: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/85zlt0t6ph8qarx7d7gic/2024-09-27-rough-draft-systems-thinking-reading-list-v1.1BT.pdf?rlkey=3rfavacsy4n6sl8j0pyedph1q&st=qagh1418&dl=0
Commentable Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tt8GgQQj4Qw4HnR7DxKeF370o_HlDlpv/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115526108239573817578&rtpof=true&sd=true

How do you get into systems | complexity | cybernetics?

Here’s my rough reading list.

There are a lot of answers to the question, many of them connecting with some kind of disjointing break from ‘normal’ ways of seeing and being. Anything from being bullied at school to being dyslexic. Being in an outsider group. Naively applying thinking from one domain to another. Studying a technical problem long enough to suddenly see it in a completely different light – then either have your breakthrough celebrated or rejected.

It isn’t some mystic thing and it doesn’t require to you break from polite society. But it is one of the richest, weirdest, most diverse and challenging, inspiring and confounding, confronting and validating things you can study.

I’m often asked for a reading list for people interested in the field, and I usually suck my teeth. Some of the books are engaging, insightful, humorous, relevant. Others are dry as old twigs but less likely to kindle a spark.

Really, it depends on you and your context – as David Ing says, it’s better to talk of the thinkers and their individual constellations of interests, history, learning, and personal tendencies than it is to talk of schools and fields and separate places.

And even presenting this reading list, I’d say that I’d recommend Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Ursula K Le Guin, Italo Calvino, Jorge Luis Borges, Star Trek, old 20th Century Sci-Fi and Apartheid-era South African writing, art movies and music more – if you happen to be a bit like me. You’ll find your thing, if you’re interested.

But. The books are there – and many of them are *really good*. Top ones I’d recommend came out this decade

Hoverstadt’s Grammar of Systems
Jackson’s Critical Systems Thinking: A practitioner’s Guide
Opening the box – a slim little thing from SCiO colleagues
Essential Balances by Velitchkov

The attached list is a bit systems-practice focused. It is also too long and incomplete and partial simply for lack of time and energy.

There are *so many* flavours of systems thinking / complexity / cybernetics – do yourself a favour and don’t flog through stuff that doesn’t work for you, find things that bring your mind alive. Start with the articles and skim through.

But do start, because you will find in here the thinking and tools to find better ways of doing things for organisations, societies, the ecosystem, for people – and a lot of fun.

Tip: to save the pdf, hover over the image of the first page and find the rectangle bottom right – click that and it should go full screen. Top right you’ll have a download option, which when clicked will then resolve into a download button… (which might then open in your browser, but at least as a proper pdf you can save).

So… deep breath… what would you recommend? What do you think is missing?

#systems-thinking

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 6:07 pm on March 12, 2026

A VSM governance tool and agricultural paradigm change for climate and ecology – Jenkinson (2026) (paywalled)

TECHNICAL PAPER| MARCH 06 2026
A VSM governance tool and agricultural paradigm change for climate and ecology
Angus Jenkinson

Author & Article Information
Kybernetes 1–25.
https://doi.org/10.1108/K-06-2025-1586
Article history
Share Icon
Share
Get Permissions
Cite Open Menu
Purpose
This study offers transformation pathways through the intersections of enterprise governance and farming in response to climate and ecological crises (COP21, COP28 et al.). The analysis further proposes Virtuoso as a novel integration capability for the Viable System Model (“VSM”), Stafford Beer’s systemic methodology for enterprise management (Beer, 1985; Jenkinson, 2022). It thereby contrasts farming models and their ways of seeing.
A VSM governance tool and agricultural paradigm change for climate and ecology | Kybernetes | Emerald Publishing

https://www.emerald.com/k/article-abstract/doi/10.1108/K-06-2025-1586/1344986/A-VSM-governance-tool-and-agricultural-paradigm?redirectedFrom=fulltext

On LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/angusjenkinson_virtuoso-biodynamicfarming-fertilizers-activity-7437173834631442432-Hmq4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho, Angus says:

Angus Jenkinson

Very happy to share this paper I just published about different farming models and their impact on nature and climate (A VSM governance tool and agricultural paradigm change for climate and ecology). it shows how this relates to ways of seeing the world and managing a company or enterprise. This features the VSM, the viable system model developed by Stafford Beer, whose centennial is this year. It takes a deep look at identity as the guiding star and model.

But what really excites me is its illustration of the immense potential the right kind of farming has. The key to the life and economic health of the farm is soil management and that depends on understanding how to cherish it so that it will support farmer, food, and future.

You see the future is very bleak if farming does not get its act fully together, so I am delighted to showcase genuine best practice in the case study. The featured farm is sequestering around ten times more carbon than it emits

https://lnkd.in/e5xsMMNq

Findings

Farming has radically altered the planetary biosphere (Ellis et al., 2010). The IC model is a major contributor to global climate and biodiversity challenges through its degenerative cycle of soil degradation, input dependency, and declining resilience (Montgomery, 2017, 39–40, 80–81). BD demonstrates that economically sound, mitigation and regeneration is possible, exceeding UN COP21 soil organic carbon (“SOC”) targets, a key indicator of climate change (Gantlett, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025). Virtuoso articulates their contrasting identities and operational logics, revealing latent potential for agriculture and the VSM.

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 3:51 pm on March 12, 2026

Launch Event: What does it take to sustain place-based change? Renaisi-TSIP, 21 April 2026, London UK

Follow
Coin Street Neighbourhood CentreLondon, England
Tuesday, Apr 21 from 11 am to 3 pm
Launch Event: What does it take to sustain place-based change? Tickets, Tuesday, Apr 21 from 11 am to 3 pm | Eventbrite

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-event-what-does-it-take-to-sustain-place-based-change-tickets-1982189954513?aff=oddtdtcreator

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 4:34 pm on March 11, 2026

Northeast Regional Conference on Complex Systems 2026 – on now!

ByNERCCS

University of RochesterRochester, NY

Wednesday, Mar 11 at 12 pm to Friday, Mar 13 at 12:30 pm

Weirdly, they stopped selling $15 onine tickets but program

Click to access NERCCS2026-program-book.pdf

And follow on twitter:

https://twitter.com/hashtag/NERCCS2026?src=hashtag_click&f=live

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 10:45 am on March 10, 2026

Cybernetic Praxis, Part II: Toward a Reconstruction of Construction – Wood (2026)

Ben Wood, PMP

Project Consultant | Builder | Systems Thinker

Cybernetic Praxis, Part II: Toward a Reconstruction of Construction

Ben Wood, PMP
Project Consultant | Builder | Systems Thinker
(1) Cybernetic Praxis, Part II: Toward a Reconstruction of Construction | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cybernetic-praxis-part-ii-toward-reconstruction-ben-wood-pmp-xr2we/?trackingId=0opg5Q4iSPSmttxWTBe%2FYg%3D%3D

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 5:14 am on March 10, 2026

How do we find the “why”? Vornov (2026)

How do we find the “why”? – On Deciding . . . Better 3.0

How do we find the “why”?

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 3:06 pm on March 8, 2026

Mindwalk – a film by Bernt Capra

Recommended as ‘the only film about systems thinking’ on LinkedIn…
MINDWALK – YouTube

ChatGPT says:

Mindwalk (1990) is an unusual film. It is almost entirely a long philosophical conversation rather than a conventional story. The director is Bernt Amadeus Capra, and the ideas come largely from his brother, physicist Fritjof Capra, especially the book The Turning Point (1982). (Wikipedia)

The film runs about 112 minutes and stars Liv Ullmann, Sam Waterston, and John Heard. It was filmed largely on location at Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, whose medieval architecture and tides serve as a kind of symbolic backdrop to the discussion. (Wikipedia)

The basic premise
Three people wander around the island and talk:

• Sonia Hoffman – a Norwegian physicist who left her research career after realising it was feeding weapons development.
• Jack Edwards – an American politician recovering from a failed presidential campaign.
• Thomas Harriman – a poet and former political speechwriter who is disillusioned with politics. (Wikipedia)

The entire film is essentially their walk and conversation. They move through cloisters, terraces, and courtyards while arguing about science, politics, ecology, economics, and culture.

The core idea
The film’s intellectual centre is systems thinking. Sonia argues that modern society still thinks in a mechanistic, reductionist way inherited from Newtonian science. Instead, she proposes a holistic or systems view, where ecological, social, technological, and economic processes are interconnected networks. (What’s After the Movie?)

So the conversation ranges across things like:

• quantum physics and uncertainty
• ecological limits and environmental damage
• how political decisions ripple through complex systems
• the relationship between science, ethics, and power

Rather than giving solutions, the film tries to shift the frame of thinking—from isolated problems to interacting systems. (What’s After the Movie?)

Style and structure
It’s basically a “conversation film”. The drama is intellectual rather than plot-driven. The closest comparisons are films like My Dinner with Andre or, later, Linklater’s dialogue films. Critics often note that the risk with such films is that characters become mouthpieces for ideas. (sensesofcinema.com)

To counter that, the film uses:

• the striking setting of Mont-Saint-Michel
• shifting camera compositions of the three characters
• poetry (including a reading of Neruda at the end)

These elements keep the film from becoming purely didactic.

Reception
Critics often say the same thing: it’s thoughtful but demanding. One review described it as an engaging but dialogue-heavy film that mostly appeals to viewers already sympathetic to its ecological and systems-thinking ideas. (Wikipedia)

Why it still gets talked about
Despite being small and somewhat obscure, Mindwalk became a cult favourite in intellectual and ecological circles because it tried to translate systems theory and modern physics into a human conversation about society.

For people interested in systems thinking, complexity, ecology, or the philosophy of science, it’s almost a cinematic essay rather than a typical film.

If you want, I can also explain the key systems ideas in the film (Capra’s worldview, deep ecology, network thinking, etc.). That’s really the heart of it.

Jon Awbrey 10:12 am on March 6, 2026
Tags: Amphecks ( 21 ), Animata ( 23 ), Boolean Algebra ( 21 ), Boolean Functions ( 22 ), C.S. Peirce ( 41 ), Cactus Graphs ( 22 ), Change ( 20 ), cybernetics ( 33 ), Differential Calculus ( 20 ), Differential Logic ( 22 ), Discrete Dynamics ( 20 ), Equational Inference ( 22 ), Functional Logic ( 21 ), Gradient Descent ( 19 ), Graph Theory ( 24 ), Inquiry Driven Systems ( 25 ), logic ( 43 ), Logical Graphs ( 23 ), Mathematics ( 42 ), Minimal Negation Operators ( 22 ), Propositional Calculus ( 22 ), Time ( 19 ), Visualization ( 28 )

Differential Logic • 18

Tangent and Remainder Maps

If we follow the classical line which singles out linear functions as ideals of simplicity then we may complete the analytic series of the proposition $f = pq : X \to \mathbb{B}$ in the following way.

The next venn diagram shows the differential proposition $\mathrm{d}f = \mathrm{d}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ we get by extracting the linear approximation to the difference map $\mathrm{D}f = \mathrm{D}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ at each cell or point of the universe $X.$ What results is the logical analogue of what would ordinarily be called the differential of $pq$ but since the adjective differential is being attached to just about everything in sight the alternative name tangent map is commonly used for $\mathrm{d}f$ whenever it’s necessary to single it out.

$\text{Tangent Map}~ \mathrm{d}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

To be clear about what’s being indicated here, it’s a visual way of summarizing the following data.

$\begin{array}{rcccccc} \mathrm{d}(pq) & = & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{,} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \mathrm{d}q \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & q & \cdot & \mathrm{d}p \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & 0 \end{array}$

To understand the extended interpretations, that is, the conjunctions of basic and differential features which are being indicated here, it may help to note the following equivalences.

$\begin{matrix} \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{,} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} & = & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} & + & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \\[4pt] dp & = & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} & + & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] \mathrm{d}q & = & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} & + & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \end{matrix}$

Capping the analysis of the proposition $pq$ in terms of succeeding orders of linear propositions, the final venn diagram of the series shows the remainder map $\mathrm{r}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B},$ which happens to be linear in pairs of variables.

$\text{Remainder}~ \mathrm{r}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

Reading the arrows off the map produces the following data.

$\begin{array}{rcccccc} \mathrm{r}(pq) & = & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \mathrm{d}p ~ \mathrm{d}q \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \mathrm{d}p ~ \mathrm{d}q \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & q & \cdot & \mathrm{d}p ~ \mathrm{d}q \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \mathrm{d}p ~ \mathrm{d}q \end{array}$

In short, $\mathrm{r}(pq)$ is a constant field, having the value $\mathrm{d}p~\mathrm{d}q$ at each cell.

Resources

cc: Academia.edu • Cybernetics • Laws of Form • Ma^thstodon (1) (2)
cc: Research Gate • Structural Modeling • Systems Science • Syscoi

#amphecks, #animata, #boolean-algebra, #boolean-functions, #c-s-peirce, #cactus-graphs, #change, #cybernetics, #differential-calculus, #differential-logic, #discrete-dynamics, #equational-inference, #functional-logic, #gradient-descent, #graph-theory, #inquiry-driven-systems, #logic, #logical-graphs, #mathematics, #minimal-negation-operators, #propositional-calculus, #time, #visualization

Jon Awbrey 11:56 am on March 5, 2026
Tags: Amphecks ( 21 ), Animata ( 23 ), Boolean Algebra ( 21 ), Boolean Functions ( 22 ), C.S. Peirce ( 41 ), Cactus Graphs ( 22 ), Change ( 20 ), cybernetics ( 33 ), Differential Calculus ( 20 ), Differential Logic ( 22 ), Discrete Dynamics ( 20 ), Equational Inference ( 22 ), Functional Logic ( 21 ), Gradient Descent ( 19 ), Graph Theory ( 24 ), Inquiry Driven Systems ( 25 ), logic ( 43 ), Logical Graphs ( 23 ), Mathematics ( 42 ), Minimal Negation Operators ( 22 ), Propositional Calculus ( 22 ), Time ( 19 ), Visualization ( 28 )

Differential Logic • 17

Enlargement and Difference Maps

Continuing with the example $pq : X \to \mathbb{B},$ the following venn diagram shows the enlargement or shift map $\mathrm{E}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ in the same style of field picture we drew for the tacit extension $\boldsymbol\varepsilon (pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}.$

$\text{Enlargement}~ \mathrm{E}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

$\begin{array}{rcccccc} \mathrm{E}(pq) & = & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \end{array}$

A very important conceptual transition has just occurred here, almost tacitly, as it were. Generally speaking, having a set of mathematical objects of compatible types, in this case the two differential fields $\boldsymbol\varepsilon f$ and $\mathrm{E}f,$ both of the type $\mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B},$ is very useful, because it allows us to consider those fields as integral mathematical objects which can be operated on and combined in the ways we usually associate with algebras.

In the present case one notices the tacit extension $\boldsymbol\varepsilon f$ and the enlargement $\mathrm{E}f$ are in a sense dual to each other. The tacit extension $\boldsymbol\varepsilon f$ indicates all the arrows out of the region where $f$ is true and the enlargement $\mathrm{E}f$ indicates all the arrows into the region where $f$ is true. The only arc they have in common is the no‑change loop $\texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)}$ at $pq.$ If we add the two sets of arcs in mod 2 fashion then the loop of multiplicity 2 zeroes out, leaving the 6 arrows of $\mathrm{D}(pq) = \boldsymbol\varepsilon(pq) + \mathrm{E}(pq)$ shown in the following venn diagram.

$\text{Difference}~ \mathrm{D}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

$\begin{array}{rcccccc} \mathrm{D}(pq) & = & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{((} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{))} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & \texttt{(} q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{~(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~~} \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{~~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)~} \\[4pt] & + & \texttt{(} p \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{(}q \texttt{)} & \cdot & \texttt{~~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~~} \end{array}$

Resources

cc: Academia.edu • Cybernetics • Laws of Form • Ma^thstodon (1) (2)
cc: Research Gate • Structural Modeling • Systems Science • Syscoi

Jon Awbrey 1:20 pm on March 4, 2026
Tags: Amphecks ( 21 ), Animata ( 23 ), Boolean Algebra ( 21 ), Boolean Functions ( 22 ), C.S. Peirce ( 41 ), Cactus Graphs ( 22 ), Change ( 20 ), cybernetics ( 33 ), Differential Calculus ( 20 ), Differential Logic ( 22 ), Discrete Dynamics ( 20 ), Equational Inference ( 22 ), Functional Logic ( 21 ), Gradient Descent ( 19 ), Graph Theory ( 24 ), Inquiry Driven Systems ( 25 ), logic ( 43 ), Logical Graphs ( 23 ), Mathematics ( 42 ), Minimal Negation Operators ( 22 ), Propositional Calculus ( 22 ), Time ( 19 ), Visualization ( 28 )

Differential Logic • 16

Propositions and Tacit Extensions

Now that we’ve introduced the field picture as an aid to visualizing propositions and their analytic series, a pleasing way to picture the relationship of a proposition $f : X \to \mathbb{B}$ to its enlargement or shift map $\mathrm{E}f : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ and its difference map $\mathrm{D}f : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ can now be drawn.

To illustrate the possibilities, let’s return to the differential analysis of the conjunctive proposition $f(p, q) = pq$ and give its development a slightly different twist at the appropriate point.

The proposition $pq : X \to \mathbb{B}$ is shown again in the venn diagram below. In the field picture it may be seen as a scalar field — analogous to a potential hill in physics but in logic amounting to a potential plateau — where the shaded region indicates an elevation of 1 and the unshaded region indicates an elevation of 0.

$\text{Proposition}~ pq : X \to \mathbb{B}$

Given a proposition $f : X \to \mathbb{B},$ the tacit extension of $f$ to $\mathrm{E}X$ is denoted $\boldsymbol\varepsilon f : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ and defined by the equation $\boldsymbol\varepsilon f = f,$ so it’s really just the same proposition residing in a bigger universe. Tacit extensions formalize the intuitive idea that a function on a given set of variables can be extended to a function on a superset of those variables in such a way that the new function obeys the same constraints on the old variables, with a “don’t care” condition on the new variables.

The tacit extension of the scalar field $pq : X \to \mathbb{B}$ to the differential field $\boldsymbol\varepsilon (pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ is shown in the following venn diagram.

$\text{Tacit Extension}~ \boldsymbol\varepsilon (pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

$\begin{array}{rcccccc} \boldsymbol\varepsilon (pq) & = & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)} \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{)} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{(} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{)} \\[4pt] & + & p & \cdot & q & \cdot & \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}p \texttt{~} \texttt{~} \mathrm{d}q \texttt{~} \end{array}$

Resources

cc: Academia.edu • Cybernetics • Laws of Form • Ma^thstodon (1) (2)
cc: Research Gate • Structural Modeling • Systems Science • Syscoi

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 10:07 am on March 4, 2026

Designing Freedom in the 21st Century – The Moral Modalities Framework (MMF) – Hilder (2026)

Trevor E Hilder

Feb 26, 2026

Designing Freedom in the 21st Century – 3
The Moral Modalities Framework (MMF)
TREVOR E HILDER
FEB 26, 2026
Designing Freedom in the 21st Century – 3

https://thethirdsystem.substack.com/p/designing-freedom-in-the-21st-century-a2c?r=1yf3i3

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 10:06 am on March 4, 2026

The Third System – Trevor E Hilder on substack – Designing Freedom in the 21st Century (2nd part) – Hilder (2026)

What functions are needed for a system to be viable?

Trevor E Hilder

Feb 17, 2026

The Third System

Designing Freedom in the 21st Century – 2
What functions are needed for a system to be viable?
TREVOR E HILDER
FEB 17, 2026
Designing Freedom in the 21st Century – 2

https://thethirdsystem.substack.com/p/designing-freedom-in-the-21st-century-ddd?r=1yf3i3

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 7:56 am on March 4, 2026

School of Systems Change hiring a Head of Systems Change Practice Partnerships – 08.FTE, £57.5k pro rata, permanent, deadline 22 March 2026, UK

At a glance

We’re excited to bring a new member to our team and network. As Head of Systems Change Practice Partnerships, you will join a team committed to embracing difference and nurturing a systemic, living paradigm, where learning is change.

Salary: £57,500- 61,750 pro rata per annum

Hours: 30 hours per week excluding lunch breaks (0.8 FTE).

Contract: This is a permanent contract. The notice period is three months in writing on either side. There is a probationary period of six months.

Location: London, UK. 22-26 Paul Street, EC2A 4QE, with opportunities for flexible working. Candidates must have a valid right to work in the country.

Benefits: Various opportunities for flexible working, generous time off policies, and other sector-competitive benefits.

hiring a Head of Systems Change Practice Partnerships
At a glance
Job pack
Application process
At a glance
We’re excited to bring a new member to our team and network. As Head of Systems Change Practice Partnerships, you will join a team committed to embracing difference and nurturing a systemic, living paradigm, where learning is change.

Salary: £57,500- 61,750 pro rata per annum

Hours: 30 hours per week excluding lunch breaks (0.8 FTE).

Contract: This is a permanent contract. The notice period is three months in writing on either side. There is a probationary period of six months.

Location: London, UK. 22-26 Paul Street, EC2A 4QE, with opportunities for flexible working. Candidates must have a valid right to work in the country.

Benefits: Various opportunities for flexible working, generous time off policies, and other sector-competitive benefits.
We’re hiring a Head of Systems Change Practice Partnerships! – School of System Change

https://www.schoolofsystemchange.org/hiring-head-of-practice-partnerships

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 7:54 am on March 4, 2026

SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP APPROACH TO HYPERLOCAL DEMOCRACY – Ferrier (2026)

19th February 2026

Andy Ferrier

Chief Executive, Test Valley Borough Council

Solace Deputy Spokesperson for Civil and Community Resilience.

SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP APPROACH TO HYPERLOCAL DEMOCRACY
Systems Leadership Approach to Hyperlocal Democracy | Solace

https://solace.org.uk/news_and_press/systems-leadership-approach-to-hyperlocal-democracy/

antlerboy - Benjamin P Taylor 5:59 pm on March 3, 2026

Constructivist Foundations Volume 20, Number 2, March 2025, Selected papers from the 60th Anniversary Meeting of the American Society for Cybernetics, “Living Cybernetics Playing Language”, edited by Claudia Westermann

Volume 20, Number 2, March 2025
Selected papers from the 60th Anniversary Meeting of the American Society for Cybernetics, “Living Cybernetics Playing Language”, edited by Claudia Westermann

Cover Art: «Cybernetic Neoconstructivism #16» © 2025 Collaboration of the Art, Media, and Cybernetics (AMC) workgroup at the American Association of Cybernetics (ASC) AI-Generative Neoconstructivism

With a Voluntary Annual Subscription you can download the entire issue.

SHARE ON
FacebookTwitterMastodonEmailWhatsAppShare
Editorial
Conversations on Four Cybernetic Approaches to Embracing Uncertainty Free Access

Claudia Westermann

Abstract · Full text in PDF (223 kB)

Target Article – Second-Order Cybernetics
Cybernetics of Language – From Naming to Naming the Self

Louis H. Kauffman

Abstract

Open Peer Commentaries
The Unaccompanied Companion

Christina Weiss

Abstract

On Proper Names, Sense and Self-Reference

Clarence Lewis Protin

Abstract

Klein Bottle Logophysics, Metacognition, and Gödel’s Theorem

Diego Lucio Rapoport

Abstract

Bio-logic of the Name-Named-Namer Relationship

Andrey S. Druzhinin & Diego A. Ramírez

Abstract

Naming, Shifting, and Seeing the Cybernetic Observer

Arthur M. Collings

Abstract

Naming Naming

Mark William Johnson

Abstract

The Sound of Self-Reference

Kate Doyle

Abstract

Author’s Response: The Indicative Shift

Louis H. Kauffman

Abstract

Target Article – Second-Order Cybernetics
Brand Management as Cybernetic Practices Free Access

Seiichiro Honjo

Abstract · Full text in PDF (749 kB)

Open Peer Commentaries
Expanding Brand Management With Cybernetic Insights Free Access

Maia Gould

Abstract · Full text in PDF (486 kB)

A Citizen Perspective on Recent Manifestations of Branding Free Access

Allenna Leonard

Abstract · Full text in PDF (499 kB)

Using the VSM to Improve Exploratory Brand Management Free Access

Alfonso Reyes

Abstract · Full text in PDF (467 kB)

Second-order Branding as Orchestration of Media Ecology Free Access

Peter Hayward Jones

Abstract · Full text in PDF (487 kB)

Harnessing Variety Engineering for Management of Non-Trivial Systems Free Access

Juliana Mariano Alves

Abstract · Full text in PDF (505 kB)

Author’s Response: Toward Implementing Second-Order Brand Management Free Access

Seiichiro Honjo

Abstract · Full text in PDF (535 kB)

Target Article – Second-Order Cybernetics
Review of an Academic Research Project “as Done”

Guillermo Sánchez Sotés, Thomas Fischer & Christiane M. Herr

Abstract

Open Peer Commentaries
The Unknown, the Other – Companions in the Construction of Knowledge

José Cabral Filho

Abstract

On the Context of the Experience and the Context of Communication

Diego Fagundes da Silva & Erica Azevedo da Costa e Mattos

Abstract

Tracing the Messiness

Mark Valentine Sullivan

Abstract

Conversation as an Integral Part of “Research as Done”

Eve C. Pinsker

Abstract

Why Do Designers Overlook Discourse on Uncertainty, Complexity, and Messiness in Research?

Michael Hohl

Abstract

Authors’ Response: On and Beyond the Difference Between Research “as Done” and Research “as Reported”

Guillermo Sánchez Sotés, Thomas Fischer & Christiane M. Herr

Abstract

Target Article – Second-Order Cybernetics
Design of a Contemporary Elementary Non-Trivial Machine Free Access

Thomas Fischer & Hengjie Li

Abstract · Full text in PDF (1150 kB)

Open Peer Commentaries
Prospects for Demonstrating Multiple Versions of the Non-Trivial Machine

Laurence D. Richards

Abstract

The Non-Trivial Machine and Non-Trivial Constructivist Ideas

Hugh Gash

Abstract

Playing With Apparatuses: Cybernetic Learning and the Challenge of Contemporary Black Boxes

Mateus van Stralen

Abstract

The Ashby Box as Situated Object within Context

Vivian Xu & Benjamin Bacon

Abstract

Fostering Critical Inquiry through the Non-Trivial Machine: On Fischer and Li’s Reinterpretation of the Ashby Box

Anja Pratschke

Abstract

Is There a Future for Research in Cybernetics?

Tom Scholte

Abstract

Author’s Response: The Continuing Relevance of the Ashby Box and Its Successors

Thomas Fischer

Abstract
Constructivist Foundations 20(2)

https://constructivist.info/20/2

Jon Awbrey 2:54 pm on March 2, 2026
Tags: Amphecks ( 21 ), Animata ( 23 ), Boolean Algebra ( 21 ), Boolean Functions ( 22 ), C.S. Peirce ( 41 ), Cactus Graphs ( 22 ), Change ( 20 ), cybernetics ( 33 ), Differential Calculus ( 20 ), Differential Logic ( 22 ), Discrete Dynamics ( 20 ), Equational Inference ( 22 ), Functional Logic ( 21 ), Gradient Descent ( 19 ), Graph Theory ( 24 ), Inquiry Driven Systems ( 25 ), logic ( 43 ), Logical Graphs ( 23 ), Mathematics ( 42 ), Minimal Negation Operators ( 22 ), Propositional Calculus ( 22 ), Time ( 19 ), Visualization ( 28 )

Differential Logic • 15

Differential Fields

The structure of a differential field may be described as follows. With each point of $X$ there is associated an object of the following type: a proposition about changes in $X,$ that is, a proposition $g : \mathrm{d}X \to \mathbb{B}.$ In that frame of reference, if ${X^\bullet}$ is the universe generated by the set of coordinate propositions $\{ p, q \}$ then $\mathrm{d}X^\bullet$ is the differential universe generated by the set of differential propositions $\{ \mathrm{d}p, \mathrm{d}q \}.$ The differential propositions $\mathrm{d}p$ and $\mathrm{d}q$ may thus be interpreted as indicating $``\text{change in}~ p"$ and $``\text{change in}~ q",$ respectively.

A differential operator $\mathrm{W},$ of the first order type we are currently considering, takes a proposition $f : X \to \mathbb{B}$ and gives back a differential proposition $\mathrm{W}f : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}.$ In the field view of the scene, we see the proposition $f : X \to \mathbb{B}$ as a scalar field and we see the differential proposition $\mathrm{W}f : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$ as a vector field, specifically, a field of propositions about contemplated changes in $X.$

The field of changes produced by $\mathrm{E}$ on $pq$ is shown in the following venn diagram.

$\text{Enlargement}~ \mathrm{E}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

The differential field $\mathrm{E}(pq)$ specifies the changes which need to be made from each point of $X$ in order to reach one of the models of the proposition $pq,$ that is, in order to satisfy the proposition $pq.$

The field of changes produced by $\mathrm{D}$ on $pq$ is shown in the following venn diagram.

$\text{Difference}~ \mathrm{D}(pq) : \mathrm{E}X \to \mathbb{B}$

The differential field $\mathrm{D}(pq)$ specifies the changes which need to be made from each point of $X$ in order to feel a change in the felt value of the field $pq.$