The Systemic View of the World -- Anatol Rapoport

World Congress of the Systems Sciences,  at Toronto, July 16-19, 2000 

• Plenary Session, Keynote Speech, July 17, 2000, 8:50 a.m.

These participant's notes were created in real-time during the meeting, based on the speaker's presentation(s) and comments from the audience. These should not be viewed as official transcripts of the meeting, but only as an interpretation by a single individual. Lapses, grammatical errors, and typing mistakes may not have been corrected. Questions about content should be directed to the originator. These notes have been contributed by David Ing (daviding@ca.ibm.com) at the IBM Advanced Business Institute ( http://www.ibm.com/abi ).

Anatol Rapoport, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.

When he was a freshmen, Rapoport's physics professor.

• A course was described as non-mathematical.
• He started at the top left, and spent 50 minutes
• "You don't see any integrals, do you?"
• Integrals are a symbol -- whole out of parts.
• Was the logo of SGSR

The last of the four founders of SGSR

• Will discuss the themes from each of the four founders.

von Bertalanffy:  Equifinality

• Same end state, despite different beginning states
• Against vitalist, because of purpose

Ralph Gerard:

• Matrix:  Cells ... societies vs. structure, behavior and evolution (being, acting, becoming)
• Oscillation
• Oxidation
• Science as a cathedral, instead of a pile of bricks.

Boulding:  9 levels of systems

• 1. Structure, no dynamics
• 2. Clockwork, rigid dynamics insensitive to inputs
• 3. Cybernetic
• 4. Open, self-mantaining
• 5. Genetic, societal
• 6. Animal
• 7. Human -- self awareness, reflection, communication by symbolic language
• 8. Human social organization
• 9. (As a devout Christian) transcedental system -- it is a sad day when no one is allowed to ask questions to which there are no answers.

Levels of systems

• Would substitute at the 9th level:  Geosphere, ... noosphere

Integration by generalization inspired by the integral sign.

Integration of society

• ... tribes ....
• Extension or risk of biosphere?

Two opposite processes:

• Internal
• External differentiation

Observe the same dichotomy in the meaning of globalization:

• Can view as village or as a market.
• Apparently less lethal version that makes it acceptable.

Free movement of capital driven by interests of corporation

• Cheap labour, locks politics.

Conclusion:  insight from Boulding

• Three modes of social control:
• Threat:  by fear
• Trade:  Modern liberal democracy, immediate self interest
• Love:  Fully cooperative society, nurturing, e.g taking care of children
• Three levels of morality
• Prostitution more more than rape, marriage as more moral than prostitition.

Later, Boulding replaced love by integration, to make it more acceptable in academic discourse