The soul of the Viable System Model
As long ago as 1992, I pointed to a battle for the ‘soul of the VSM’ between advocates of positivist, structuralist, and interpretive theoretical positions. It is clear that, as […]
Webinars
The Viability of Tribes
“The amazing thing that needs to be investigated is cultural stability, whenever and wherever it is found.” Douglas (1985: xxii) Abstract: In this Webinar Jonathan will propose a redrawing of
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Complexity and ignorance in the Information Society: A new methodological approach
In logical terms, the utterance “this is complex” is equivalent to the acknowledgment of ignorance of the observer. This observation is relevant to all situations, beginning from daily life and
The Neo-Cybernetic Synthesis: Ashby’s True Legacy
Though Ross Ashby is often seen as the consolidator of a field founded by Norbert Wiener and Warren McCulloch, in this webinar we are going to learn a different history
Monitoring the health of riverine systems
Riverine systems (also called watersheds or catchment basins) consist of interactions among geological features, plant and animal communities, water (precipitation, groundwater, lakes, wetlands, and flowing water), and human activities. These
VSM in 2020 – more relevant than ever
It has been said that Stafford Beer was 50 years ahead of his time. In this webinar Steve Morlidge will reflect on the relevance of the VSM from the perspective
The clash of modernism and postmodernism in social activism
The ongoing case of the protesters in Colombia and the weaponization of systemic tools
