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Reflections on the foundations of system dynamics
Author(s) -
Richardson George P.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
system dynamics review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1099-1727
pISSN - 0883-7066
DOI - 10.1002/sdr.462
Subject(s) - sine qua non , computer science , systems thinking , system dynamics , set (abstract data type) , management science , foundation (evidence) , point (geometry) , dynamics (music) , critical systems thinking , epistemology , engineering ethics , operations research , critical thinking , artificial intelligence , sociology , engineering , mathematics , political science , law , pedagogy , philosophy , geometry , programming language
Jay W. Forrester's original statement of the foundations of system dynamics emphasized four ‘threads’: computing technology, computer simulation, strategic decision making, and the role of feedback in complex systems. Subsequent work has expanded on these to expose the significance in the system dynamics approach of dynamic thinking, stock‐and‐flow thinking, operational thinking, and so on. But the foundation of systems thinking and system dynamics lies deeper than these and is often implicit or even ignored: it is the “endogenous point of view”. The paper begins with historical background, clarifies the endogenous point of view, illustrates with examples, and argues that the endogenous point of view is the sine qua non of systems approaches. What expert systems teachers and practitioners have to offer their students and the world is a set of tools, habits of thought, and skills enabling the discovery and understanding of endogenous sources of complex system behavior. Copyright © 2011 System Dynamics Society.