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5.2.1 On the Various Conceptualizations of Systems and Their Impact on the Practice of Systems Engineering
Author(s) -
Martin James N.,
Ferris Timothy L.J.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
incose international symposium
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2334-5837
DOI - 10.1002/j.2334-5837.2008.tb00828.x
Subject(s) - conceptualization , object (grammar) , point (geometry) , systems thinking , computer science , epistemology , artificial intelligence , mathematics , philosophy , geometry
We all have a tendency to confuse an object we observe with the conceptualization of that object. Most of us would not consider this to be a fatal flaw, but when it comes to systems thinking and applying this to systems engineering this tendency could have serious consequences. The object we observe that we call the “system” is not really the system itself. The system is really the “point of view” we take when we properly deal with engineering of what is commonly called “the system”. We will explore in this paper what it means to think of something “as a system” and how we can avoid the common tendencies that get in the way of truly holistic thinking.