THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE SYSTEMS SCIENCES TO THE HUMANITIES

This article presents the systems sciences as a field of inquiry and d iscusses the way in which it has evolved in relation to the humanities . Following a brief historical overview and assessment of the systems sciences by considering their origins and foundations in general syste m thinking, the review highlights the key players and the major trends in the field, and leads to a consideration of the ways in which it co mplements and contrasts the methods of human-related studies generally pursued in the humanities. It discusses the potential for the systems sciences to enrich descriptive, instructional, and explanatory orient ations of contemporary Geisteswissenschaften through the inclusion of normative considerations. The normative component of the systems scien ces is considered within an evolutionary framework that presents holis m as a methodology for understanding the dynamics of complex 'real-wor ld' (ontological) systems and suggests action imperatives for their vi able and sustainable design over time. Through the tools metaphor, mod eling and simulation, interactive design and other praxes, systems sci entists investigate the goals and ends of systems and their interactio ns within environments shared with, and provided for, one another. In this way social systems in general, and human activity systems in part icular, can be described as a function of their degree of purposefulne ss in terms of the role of human values in concrete circumstances. Thr ough the tools of systems analysis and design, systems science represe nts the world of symbols, values, social entities, and cultures as emb edded in an embracing order of hierarchies that bridges the gap betwee n C. P. Snow's Two Cultures' of the sciences and the humanities. The u se of modeling in systems sciences provides the language of design and the means by which creativity is applied in the course of inventing, making, assessing, and implementing the designs. In this way it lends to the humanities the capability to deal with increasing systemic comp lexities, rapid societal changes, and design decisions that affect the sustainable evolution of human societies within the wider context of their life support systems.