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Five systems concepts of society
Author(s) -
Bahm Archie J.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830280304
Subject(s) - holism , organicism , epistemology , structuralism (philosophy of science) , cybernetics , constructive , sociology , systems theory , reductionism , atomism , philosophy of science , systems thinking , philosophy , social science , computer science , process (computing) , artificial intelligence , operating system
Bunge's three “concepts of society” exemplify three types of systems philosophy. This article criticizes Bunge's analysis as minimally inadequate by expanding his range to five concepts of society which exemplify five kinds of systems philosophy: individualism, emergentism, organicism, structuralism, and holism. Emphasis is given to stages in the development of emergentism, including cybernetics (four stages), systems theory (eight stages), and holonism, and then to opposing structuralism (four examples). Organicism as a type of systems philosophy and concept of society is constructed by incorporating the constructive claims of both emergentism and structuralism and by overcoming oppositions to them systematically.