Systems science and engineering

Systems science, also referred to as systems research, or, simply, systems, is a transdisciplinary field concerned with understanding systems—from simple to complex—in nature, society, cognition, engineering, technology and science itself. The field is diverse, spanning the formal, natural, social, and applied sciences. To systems scientists, the world can be understood as a system of systems. The field aims to develop transdisciplinary foundations that are applicable in a variety of areas, such as psychology, biology, medicine, communication, business management, technology, computer science, engineering, and social sciences. Themes commonly stressed in system science are (a) holistic view, (b) interaction between a system and its embedding environment, and (c) complex (often subtle) trajectories of dynamic behavior that sometimes are stable (and thus reinforcing), while at various 'boundary conditions' can become wildly unstable (and thus destructive). Concerns about Earth-scale biosphere/geosphere dynamics is an example of the nature of problems to which systems science seeks to contribute meaningful insights. The systems sciences are a broad array of fields. One way of conceiving of these is in three groups: fields that have developed systems ideas primarily through theory; those that have done so primarily through practical engagements with problem situations; and those that have applied systems ideas in the context of other disciplines. Chaos theory and Dynamical systems theory Complex system Control theory Affect control theory Control engineering Control systems Cybernetics Autopoiesis Conversation theory Engineering cybernetics Perceptual control theory Management cybernetics Second-order cybernetics Information theory Systems Theory List of types of systems theory Systems theory in anthropology Biochemical systems theory Ecological systems theory Developmental systems theory General systems theory Living systems theory LTI system theory Social systems Sociotechnical systems theory Mathematical system theory World-systems theory Hierarchy theory Systems thinking Critical systems thinking Operations research and Management science Soft systems methodology The soft systems methodology was developed in England by academics at the University of Lancaster Systems Department through a ten-year action research programme.