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.
To let coding agents work with less supervision, we need ways to increase our confidence in their result. As software engineers, we have a natural trust barrier with AI-generated code – LLMs are non-deterministic, they don’t know our context, and they don’t really understand the code, they think in tokens. This article explores a mental model that brings together emerging concepts from context and harness engineering to build that trust.
Birgitta is a Distinguished Engineer and AI-assisted delivery expert at Thoughtworks. She has over 20 years of experience as a software developer, architect and technical leader.
Hello and welcome to the end of March mailing from SCiO. Please check the Events page on the website for updates https://www.systemspractice.org/events. Please note that you are welcome to attend any event (allowing for restrictions on members-only events) so long as you speak and understand the language.
COURSES
Please remember that All thirty-one courses now on the SCiO LMS are discounted 10% to members – use the discount code MEMBER10 when booking. The courses currently available are here.
Multi-course discounts: There is a discount of 20% for any four or more courses and 25% for considerably more. The full set of courses (including future additions) can be had with a 30% discount and this includes access to coaching.
Organisational Development Programmes: If your organisation is interested to use any or all of the courses, substantial discounts of around 50% are available and bespoke programmes can be prepared.
2026 CONFERENCE
The three-day conference: Systems Thinking Systems Practice, took place at Hull University from 24–26 March 2026. It was good to meet some of you there and I hope that you enjoyed it. SCiO was not as involved in the organisation this year and so I cannot guarantee that as much material will be made available. However, Hull have committed to making everything available that they can and this will include recordings of key note speakers and panels. Other material may be more piecemeal. We will structure it in a single page when we see what we have.
SCiO’s Development Event offer an opportunity to draw upon the collective expertise of SCiO members in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. By taking Development Events online, using the Zoom meeting platform, we aim to make them accessible to more SCiO members. Development Events are both for members who are just starting out on a journey to explore Systems Thinking approaches, and for those who have many years of exploration and practice. This is a bring your issues of interest Development Event.
Members only; FREE; Online event; English BOOK NOW
Virtual Open Meeting: A series of presentations of general interest to Systems and Complexity in Organisation’s members and others. SCiO organises Open Meetings to provide opportunities for practitioners to learn and develop new practice, to build relationships, networks hear about skills, tools, practice and experiences. This virtual meeting will be held on Zoom.
In deze laatste activiteit verkennen we hoe we vastgeroeste denkpatronen kunnen doorbreken en nieuwe perspectieven kunnen creëren. Door middel van provocatieve vragen onderzoeken deelnemers de grenzen van hun eigen systemische benadering verkennen en innovatieve oplossingen vinden voor complexe problemen. Enkele voorbeelden die relevant zouden kunnen zijn voor het systeem waarmee je geconfronteerd wordt:
“Wat als we het probleem precies tegenovergesteld zouden benaderen?”
“Stel dat de meest onwaarschijnlijke oplossing de juiste is, wat zou die dan zijn?”
“Wie zou er het meeste baat bij hebben als dit probleem niet werd opgelost?”
“Welke regels of aannames moeten we breken om een innovatieve oplossing te vinden?”
We vatten de avond zeer interactief op en werken in kleine groepjes, vertrekkende van de systemen waarmee de deelnemers worstelen. Het wordt een avond waarin we creatief, onconventioneel en respectvol gevoelige onderwerpen zullen omdenken.
Members only + guests; 50 euro; Kon. Astridlaan 144, 2800 Mechelen, Belgium; Dutch BOOK NOW
Zwischenergebnisse einer laufenden Dissertation zur Messbarkeit organisationaler Komplexität im industriellen Umfeld. Im Fokus: Wie nehmen operative Führungskräfte steigende Komplexität wahr – und inwieweit lässt sich diese Wahrnehmung datenbasiert im Unternehmen abbilden? Ein praxisnaher Einblick in erste Befunde, methodisches Vorgehen und weiterführende Forschungsfragen.
Organisaatiot ovat yhä suorituskykyisempiä. Ne optimoivat prosesseja, asettavat tavoitteita, seuraavat mittareita ja palkitsevat onnistumista. Nämä vahvuudet eivät kuitenkaan välttämättä takaa kestävää menestystä tai organisaation elinkelpoisuutta pitkällä aikavälillä. Esityksessä tarkastellaan suorituskykyä organisoivana logiikkana sekä sen rakenteellisia rajoja. Keskustelemme siitä, miten tavoitteilla johtaminen ja suorituskyvyn optimointi menettävät tehoaan ympäristöissä, joissa epälineaarisuus lisääntyy ja arviointikriteerit muuttuvat epävakaiksi, sekä siitä, kuinka nämä rajat usein tulkitaan toimeenpanon ongelmiksi sen sijaan, että kyseenalaistettaisiin taustalla olevia perusoletuksia. Esityksessä tehdään erottelu suorituskykylogiikan ja adaptiivisen logiikan välillä. Tarkoitus ei ole hylätä suorituskykyä, vaan paikantaa sen rajat – ja avata tilaa toisenlaiselle organisoinnin logiikalle.
SCIO-NL komt elke 1e of 2e vrijdag van de maand live bijeen, meestal in Woerden (Pelmolenlaan 2). Er staan (meestal) geen vaste onderwerpen op de agenda (daarvoor organiseren we specifieke andere meetings), maar de ervaring leert dat er altijd wel een interessant gesprek op gang komt over een systemisch onderwerp. Toegankelijk voor iedereen die de jaarlijkse fee voor de live-bijeenkomsten (€50,-) hiervoor betaald. En voor KNVI-leden. En voor gasten. Neem contact op via ed@doitogether.nl als je interesse hebt, maar nog geen lid van de club bent.
NL Members + guests; FREE; Pelmolenlaan 2, Woerden (At the Office) 5, Woerden, Netherlands; Dutch BOOK NOW
SCIO-NL komt elke 1e of 2e vrijdag van de maand live bijeen, meestal in Woerden (Pelmolenlaan 2). Er staan (meestal) geen vaste onderwerpen op de agenda (daarvoor organiseren we specifieke andere meetings), maar de ervaring leert dat er altijd wel een interessant gesprek op gang komt over een systemisch onderwerp. Toegankelijk voor iedereen die de jaarlijkse fee voor de live-bijeenkomsten (€50,-) hiervoor betaald. En voor KNVI-leden. En voor gasten. Neem contact op via ed@doitogether.nl als je interesse hebt, maar nog geen lid van de club bent.
NL Members + guests; FREE; Pelmolenlaan 2, Woerden (At the Office) 5, Woerden, Netherlands; Dutch BOOK NOW
[Requires one of those infernal ‘now check your email’ logins but the trick is to just keep registering – even if already registered – to read the full article]
Since Aristotle, we have attempted to avoid self-causation, giving rise to ontic dualisms, Gödel’s incompleteness theorems, and pancomputationalism. In this article, Francisco Varela develops an alternative axiomatic paradigm whose arithmetic and algebra allow us to address self-reference. The implications and interpretation of employing such an alternative mathematical foundation are remarkable, and that is why I will examine it today.
People who study C.S. Peirce would say reflective reasoning requires triadic relations at core and there is work being done on that. One of the challenges is clarifying the role of triadic relations in category theory and raising them into higher relief as fundamental operations.
Note. I was looking for a word to describe a random encounter with something that jogs one’s memory of a recurring theme — incident plays into the reflection theme and looked worth trying for now.
STPrism is not simply a digital library; it is an architectural framework designed to refract the differing point of views from Systems Thinking and Complexity Science into a coherent collection of principles distilled from the unique voices of individual thinkers.
Philosophical Foundations of General Systems Theory
I’m pleased to share a new paper:“Philosophical Foundations of General Systems Theory” (EFGST 01)
This paper sets out the philosophical basis for the Extended Framework for General Systems Theory (EFGST), integrating two complementary perspectives:
Cognitive Physicalism – everything that exists is physical and located in space–time, including cognition itself
Critical Realism – reality exists independently of our knowledge, but our understanding of it is always mediated
Together, these provide a realist yet epistemically modest foundation for systems science.
The paper explores several key implications, including:
systems as real, structured physical entities
knowledge as model-based and necessarily partial
the distinction between observable events and underlying causal structures and
the idea that the future is constrained but not predetermined, unfolding through branching possibilities shaped by interaction and agency.
One theme that runs throughout is that we never act directly on reality itself, but on representations of it; representations that are sufficient for action, but never complete.
To illustrate this, I’ve included a banner image accompanying the paper. You might like to take a careful look at it…
Download the paper (PDF): https://rational-understanding.com/EFGST#01
Also available on Academia: https://www.academia.edu/165229843/Philosophical_Foundations_of_General_Systems_Theory
This paper forms the first in a series developing a unified systems framework spanning physical, biological, and social domains.
Next in our Papers in Systems discussion series: “The Causal Texture of Organizational Environments” by Fred Emery and Eric Trist
The discussion will be led by Trond Hjorteland. Trond has been bringing many of these classics in sociotechnical systems to broader attention in our field. We are very excited that Trond will lead this!
When: Monday, April 6th, 2025, 1PM – 2PM Eastern Time (US/Canada) (19:00 CET). The Zoom room will remain open until 2:30PM for informal discussion. (Check time in your timezone: WorldTimeBuddy )
Some quotes to tease the appetite for reading this 1965 paper:
“A main problem in the study of organizational change is that the environmental contexts in which organizations exist are themselves changing—at an increasing rate, under the impact of technological change. This means that they demand consideration for their own sake.”
“This requires an extension of systems theory. The first steps in systems theory were taken in connection with the analysis of internal processes in organisms, or organizations, which involved relating parts to the whole.”
‘Organizational environments differ in their causal texture, both as regards degree of uncertainty and in many other important respects. A typology is suggested that identifies four ‘‘ideal types”‘
Papers in Systems Discussion: Causal Texture 1–2pm, April 6th, 2026 Remote View schedule Causal Texture of Organizational Environments Next in our Papers in Systems discussion series: “The Causal Texture of Organizational Environments” by Fred Emery and Eric Trist
The discussion will be led by Trond Hjorteland. Trond has been bringing many of these classics in sociotechnical systems to broader attention in our field. We are very excited that Trond will lead this!
When: Monday, April 6th, 2025, 1PM – 2PM Eastern Time (US/Canada) (19:00 CET). The Zoom room will remain open until 2:30PM for informal discussion. (Check time in your timezone: WorldTimeBuddy )
The paper is available at: https://media.wiley.com/product_data/excerpt/64/04702605/0470260564.pdf
Some quotes to tease the appetite for reading this 1965 paper:
“A main problem in the study of organizational change is that the environmental contexts in which organizations exist are themselves changing—at an increasing rate, under the impact of technological change. This means that they demand consideration for their own sake.”
“This requires an extension of systems theory. The first steps in systems theory were taken in connection with the analysis of internal processes in organisms, or organizations, which involved relating parts to the whole.”
‘Organizational environments differ in their causal texture, both as regards degree of uncertainty and in many other important respects. A typology is suggested that identifies four ‘‘ideal types”‘
Cognitive Physicalism – everything that exists is physical and located in space–time, including cognition itself
Download the paper (PDF): https://rational-understanding.com/EFGST#01
Also available on Academia: https://www.academia.edu/165229843/Philosophical_Foundations_of_General_Systems_Theory
Systems Community of Inquiry 
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