[And his series of papers: https://rational-understanding.com/efgst/

and General Systems Theory course: https://rational-understanding.com/gst-course/ ]

By John A Challoner

Ontology, Applied Ontology, Systems Theory, Social Systems Theory, General Systems Theory

This paper establishes an ontological foundation for General Systems Theory by clarifying the nature of existence, entities, structure, and causality. Adopting an empirically grounded physicalist stance, it assumes that all observed phenomena occur within space-time and that there is no evidence of non-physical entities interacting with the physical universe. On this basis, reality is understood as comprising physically instantiated entities distinguished by boundaries and organised within space-time. The paper develops a systematic account of key ontological concepts. Entities may be considered individually or as sets, exhibiting duality between whole and parts. Abstract entities are reconceptualised as distributed physical configurations, understood both as sets of instances and as characteristics defining classes of entities. Structure is distinguished from configuration as the organised arrangement of entities and their relationships, and information is defined ontologically as non-random, recurring structure in space-time. Relationships are classified as configurational or causal, corresponding respectively to structural arrangement and transfer of matter, energy, or information. Events are defined as time-bounded causal interactions, and networks as interconnected systems of such events. Causality is further analysed through two complementary representations: processtransfer-process (PTP), emphasising relational interactions between systems, and transfer-process-transfer (TPT), emphasising internal transformation within systems. Finally, entities are described in terms of characteristics and states, with change understood as variation in these characteristics over time. Together, these concepts provide a coherent and physically grounded ontology that supports the analysis of systems, processes, and dynamics, and establishes a foundation for subsequent developments in structure, information, thermodynamics, and social systems theory.

https://www.academia.edu/165495501/Ontological_Foundations_of_General_Systems_Theory