Aesthetics of Biocybernetic Designs: A Systems Approach to Biorobots and Its Implications for the Environment

Leonardo ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reynaldo Thompson ◽  
Tirtha Prasad Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Paradigmatic Shift ◽  
Art Objects ◽  
Adaptive Mechanisms ◽  
Nam June Paik ◽  
Survival Mechanisms ◽  
Self Organizing

The authors identify some of the theoretical premises of biocybernetic art objects, with reference to the works of Nam June Paik, Edward Ihnawitz, Ulrike Gabriel, and most notably, Gilberto Esparza, the Mexican biocybernetic artist. Systems theory anticipates stochastic convergences in nature, defying the classic certitude of the teleological notion of form. Evidence for this paradigmatic shift is found in the biocybernetic creatures conceived by these roboticists. In much biocybernetic art, beauty emerges in the form of adaptive mechanisms, such as in robotic tetrapods or self-organizing artificial plants. Such structures provide a template for survival mechanisms in an increasingly entropic environment.

scholarly journals Dynamic capabilities as (workable) management systems theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J Teece
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Individual Enterprise ◽  
Management Leadership ◽  
Over Time

AbstractIn management studies, systems theory is an underexplored construct consistent with the dynamic capabilities framework. The systems approach received attention from management scholars in the middle of the last century, but, since then, has been largely abandoned. Meanwhile, academic disciplines have continued to narrow their focus. The capabilities and systems frameworks both adopt a holistic view that calls for all elements of an organization to be in alignment, and both recognize the importance of some form of learning for the purpose of adaptation. Dynamic capabilities go further by recognizing that organizations not only adapt to the business environment, they often try to shape it, too. While systems theory emphasizes internal stability over time and homogeneity across similar systems, dynamic capabilities include an explicit role for management/leadership that allows systemic change to start from within, which is the source of heterogeneity across firms. Dynamic capabilities are part of a system that includes resources and strategy. Together they determine the degree of competitive advantage an individual enterprise can gain over its rivals.

(Re-)Problematizing the Luhmannian constructivist systems approach: A Bungean intervention

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
pp. 696-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poe Yu-ze Wan
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Systems Theory ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Autopoietic Systems ◽  
Constructivist Epistemology ◽  
Oriented Approach

In the field of sociological theory, after the decline of Parsons’ version of structural functionalism, Niklas Luhmann’s systems theory came to be seen as the major representative of systems thinking. While Luhmann’s autopoietic systems ontology is sophisticated and deserves serious consideration, the author argues that the prevailing identification of Luhmann’s constructivist-oriented approach with the systems approach itself is problematic mainly for two reasons. First, as the works of the Argentinian-Canadian systems theorist Mario Bunge demonstrate, the systems approach can be fruitfully based on (some version of) scientific realism. Second, the adherents to Luhmann’s constructivist epistemology in sociology seldom engage in a detailed examination of the various critiques of anti-realism offered by scientific and critical realists. Drawing on the literature on philosophy of science, especially the writings of Bunge and a few leading critical realists, the author suggests that a serious Luhmannian sociologist is obligated to provide more cogent and detailed discussions on philosophy of (social) science before taking an opinionated position on epistemology.

scholarly journals The epigenome and top-down causation

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. W. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Physical Object ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Molecular Sequences ◽  
Information Theoretic ◽  
Time Operation ◽  
Real Time Operation ◽  
Physical And Chemical ◽  
Self Organizing

Genes store heritable information, but actual gene expression often depends on many so-called epigenetic factors, both physical and chemical, external to DNA. Epigenetic changes can be both reversible and heritable. The genome is associated with a physical object (DNA) with a specific location, whereas the epigenome is a global, systemic, entity. Furthermore, genomic information is tied to specific coded molecular sequences stored in DNA. Although epigenomic information can be associated with certain non-DNA molecular sequences, it is mostly not. Therefore, there does not seem to be a stored ‘epigenetic programme’ in the information-theoretic sense. Instead, epigenomic control is—to a large extent—an emergent self-organizing phenomenon, and the real-time operation of the epigenetic ‘project’ lies in the realm of nonlinear bifurcations, interlocking feedback loops, distributed networks, top-down causation and other concepts familiar from the complex systems theory. Lying at the heart of vital eukaryotic processes are chromatin structure, organization and dynamics. Epigenetics provides striking examples of how bottom-up genetic and top-down epigenetic causation intermingle. The fundamental question then arises of how causal efficacy should be attributed to biological information. A proposal is made to implement explicit downward causation by coupling information directly to the dynamics of chromatin, thus permitting the coevolution of dynamical laws and states, and opening up a new sector of dynamical systems theory that promises to display rich self-organizing and self-complexifying behaviour.

The Rule of Law Effects of Commercial Arbitration from a Socio-Legal Perspective

2020 ◽  
pp. 678-696
Author(s):  
Thomas Dietz
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
International Investment ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
International Investment Law ◽  
Investment Treaty ◽  
Investment Arbitration ◽  
Legal Perspective ◽  
Core Idea

This chapter suggests a vision of investment treaty arbitration filtered through the lens of political systems theory. Political systems theory was developed in the 1950s and 1960s by David Easton, an eminent political scientist. The core idea of Easton’s theory is that political systems can be understood as consisting of inputs from various actors that are aggregated and transformed into outputs, where outputs consist of the authoritative allocation of values. As such, the political systems approach encourages people to move beyond overly reductionist visions of international investment law as a quasi-inevitable product of state and investor interactions, or as the quasi-autonomous and teleological identification and imposition by tribunals of necessarily sensible or correct rules of state behaviour. Indeed, the chapter argues that seeing investment arbitration as political system allows people to bring out elements of its workings with greater clarity. Altogether, this helps people get a better sense of some of the key dynamics of investment arbitration.

scholarly journals Deliberative Systems Theory and Citizens’ Use of Online Media: Testing a Critical Theory of Democracy on a High Achiever

2020 ◽  
pp. 003232171989080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathrine Holst ◽  
Hallvard Moe
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Prima Facie ◽  
Normative Theory ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Online Media ◽  
High Achiever ◽  
The Public ◽  
Epistemic Function ◽  
Theory Of Democracy

Deliberative systems theory is a promising candidate for a normative theory of democracy that combines ideal requirements with feasibility. Yet, recent theoretical elaborations and studies of citizens’ online media use inspired by the theory suffer from an incomplete account of the public sphere’s epistemic function, too rough interpretations of participatory levels, shortcomings in the understanding of online media, and a context-insensitive notion of policy reform. Addressing these weaknesses, the article argues for a refined version of deliberative systems theory. Particular attention is given to feasibility considerations. Reviewing studies of online democracy in Norway, the article shows that the theoretical critique has practical significance. It is also argued that the amended version of the deliberative systems approach produces a diagnosis of Norwegian online democracy more in line with reasonable expectations to a high achiever. This is taken as a prima facie indicator of feasibility.

Updating the dual systems model of temporal cognition: Reasoning with dynamic systems theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Hohenberger
Keyword(s):  
Systems Theory ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Dynamic Systems ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Temporal Reasoning ◽  
Dynamic Systems Theory ◽  
Dual Systems ◽  
Temporal Cognition ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Two Systems

Abstract This commentary construes the relation between the two systems of temporal updating and temporal reasoning as a bifurcation and tracks it across three time scales: phylogeny, ontogeny, and microgeny. In taking a dynamic systems approach, flexibility, as mentioned by Hoerl & McCormack, is revealed as the key characteristic of human temporal cognition.

A Systemic Approach of Electronic Commerce

2011 ◽  
pp. 85-103
Author(s):  
Roberto Vinaja
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Commerce ◽  
Systems Theory ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
Intelligent Agent ◽  
Systemic Approach ◽  
General Systems Theory ◽  
Electronic Marketplace ◽  
Model Interaction ◽  
Classical Systems ◽  
General Systems

This chapter applies several concepts from classical Systems Theory to the growing area of E-commerce and agents. The purpose of this chapter is to demonstrate how General Systems Theory principles are widely applicable to the state-of-the art field of Electronic Commerce. The Systems Approach can be used as a framework to model interaction in the electronic marketplace. Software agents play an important role in this system. The chapter describes the characteristics of an intelligent agent and its applications in Electronic Commerce from a systemic perspective.

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