BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

OBSERVATION (Conditions of) 2)3)

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At our macro-level the observing act does not affect sensibly the observed (so-called) object. In any case, the perturbation produced by the observing act is normally infinitesimal and even generally escapes any possible measurement. However, this is true only for physical observations at macro-level, but not for micro-level ones.

In a different sense any mental component in an observing act modifies the perception of the so-called object. The observer and the observed thing or event can never be completely and clearly dissociated (S LUPASCO, 1972, p.104).

As stated by H.von FOERSTER, we thus need "an observational epistemology" (1992, p.44).

At least the following aspects should be taken care of:

- intentionality of the observer

- physiological limitations of the observer

- psychological and cultural bents (mindscapes) of the observer (conceptual organizational closure)

- selected level of observation (grossly: micro-, macro- or mega-)

- characteristics of the observational device used. (these show us what their construction allows for and we translate according to our knowledge of their characteristics)

- paradigmatic orientation of the observer (for ex.: mythical, mechanicist, reductionist or holistic bent)

K. POPPER recognized the same situation: "The belief that we can start with pure observation alone, without anything in the nature of theory, is absurd… Observation is always selective. It needs a choosen object, a definite task, a point of view, a problem. And its description presupposes a descriptive language…" (1981, as quoted by M. DODDS and G. JAROS, 1994).

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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