The AI team does a deep dive into an online presentation made by Dr Joseph Kasser and Bruce Lerner to the British Computer Society (BCS) in 2023. The presentation exposes two common misconceptions about systems thinking.
First, it clarifies the proper application of reductionism, arguing that it’s a valuable analytical tool, not an opposing methodology to systems thinking.
Second, it explains that “open” and “closed” systems are not distinct types but rather different perspectives on the same system, depending on the problem’s boundaries.
The authors propose an updated systems approach that integrates the strengths of both reductionism and systems thinking for comprehensively understanding and resolving complex problems. The document uses numerous examples to illustrate these concepts.
Finally, it offers a free book on systems thinking as a bonus.
The presentation may be found at https://youtu.be/fxZa-qpnAnU