Contextual System-Theory

Author(s): E.K. Wolff

Introducing a new contextual system-theory, with focus on analysis of biological systems, give a guideline of how to explore complex systems. It is written not only for scientists, therefore I try to describe part of the way understanding complexity as an intuitive approach. This will also help scientists to get a deeper and more complete understanding of complex systems. Some definitions and rules may seem at first simple and obvious, but practiced in a multidimensional complex surrounding, one will see the difficulties. Even without mathematization or computer modeling a multidimensional sub space, which we try to describe phenomenologically for approaching the understanding, will need a lot of training not getting lost in the multidimensional world. Some of the chapters here and in following publications of this series are written for specialists, but we always come back to the essence of a phenomenological description. Concepts like Symbolic programming, Object oriented modeling, simulation, optimizing as well as experimental mathematical approaches and using new ways of artificial intelligence are the described tools to “unpuzzle” complex scenarios. The whole world interferes in many dimensions with the little world around us. If we do not want to destroy it with our one- dimensional solutions, we need to look at its problems in a new way. The present living in today’s global world is more complex than ever and complexity will increase dramatically in the future. We ourselves still tend to think linearly looking for simple answers. Our brain likes to live in the Stone Age where our horizon had a radius of several kilometers, but the influences to our lives and the related interconnections do not end in the next village or the next kingdom. The whole world interferes in many dimensions with the little world around us. If we do not want to destroy our world with our simple views and one-dimensional solutions, we need to learn to look at it and its problems in a new way. The comparison between the described approach of the contextual system theory and others are part of one of the last publications of this series of articles. Aside of their solutions, which will be taken into account as examples to describe complex systems, other approaches will then be discussed.