Introducing Systems

Defining a System

While there are several definitions, the lecture synthesizes them into a comprehensive one.

A system is an integrated whole made up of interconnected elements. Through the processes of self-organization and emergence, this whole exhibits essential properties that cannot be found in the individual elements alone. In short, the whole is different from (and often greater than) the sum of its parts.

• Critique of Simpler Definitions: Donella Meadows' popular definition ("an interconnected set of elements... that achieves something") can be misleading.
  • The word "organized" can incorrectly imply an external organizer, whereas systems are often self-organizing.
  • The phrase "achieves something" can incorrectly imply a desirable goal, whereas systems can also "achieve" undesirable outcomes like poverty or climate change.

Key Property 1: Self-Organization (Autopoiesis)

Self-organization is the property where the structure and order of a system arise from the interactions between its parts, governed by a set of simple, internal rules, rather than being imposed by an external force.

• Autopoiesis: This is a related concept, referring to a system's ability to maintain and reproduce itself over time. This isn't biological reproduction, but rather the ability to maintain its own structure and logic.
• Key Analogy (Robert Pirsig): "If a factory is torn down but the rationality that produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory." This perfectly illustrates how the underlying rules of a system can regenerate it.

Key Property 2: Emergence

Emergence occurs when a system, as an integrated whole, displays novel properties, behaviors, or patterns that are not present in any of its individual parts.

• Core Idea: The unique properties of a system "emerge" from the specific relationships and interactions between its components. You cannot understand the system by just studying its parts in isolation.
• Emergent properties can be desirable or undesirable:
  • Desirable 👍: A person's unique talent as a leader or artist, which emerges from the complex interplay of their genetics, upbringing, and education.
  • Undesirable 👎: Societal problems like homelessness, persistent inequality, and environmental degradation are also emergent properties of our current economic and social systems.

Exam Tip: The two most important concepts to master from this lecture are self-organization and emergence. Be prepared to define both and explain the crucial insight of emergence: that the whole is fundamentally different from the sum of its parts, and that this can lead to both positive and negative unintended outcomes.