The epistemology of complex systems Export

@article{citeulike:1716593, abstract = {The human knowledge structure is acquired by a very complex process of learning. 'Folk knowledge', acquired in ordinary daily life, may be distinguished from 'Scholarly knowledge'. Folk knowledge has images which range from about 105 to 10−5 of the human size; scholarly knowledge produces images which range from about 1020 to 10−20 of the human size. Knowledge results from the interaction of internal and external messages. Internal messages produce perceptions of identities—propositions which cannot be untrue, and also perceptions of 'near-identities'—propositions which have a high probability of being true. Beyond these are the empirical propositions, derived from ordered observation of the records of the past and the present, and from experiment. These are always subjet both to error, and the reduction of error. Each field of knowledge has to find its appropriate method, depending on the nature of the system about which knowledge is sought. These systems may be classified as predictable (with stable parameters) and partially predictable (systems involving information, or subject to parametric change.) It is a mistake to transfer methods appropriate in one field to another, where they may be inappropriate.}, author = {Boulding, Kenneth E.}, citeulike-article-id = {1716593}, journal = {European Journal of Operational Research}, keywords = {complex\_systems, epistemology, knowledge}, month = {June}, number = {2}, pages = {110--116}, posted-at = {2007-10-01 19:33:14}, priority = {2}, title = {The epistemology of complex systems}, volume = {30}, year = {1987} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:1716593 L3 - citeulike-article-id:1716593 N2 - The human knowledge structure is acquired by a very complex process of learning. ‘Folk knowledge’, acquired in ordinary daily life, may be distinguished from ‘Scholarly knowledge’. Folk knowledge has images which range from about 105 to 10−5 of the human size; scholarly knowledge produces images which range from about 1020 to 10−20 of the human size. Knowledge results from the interaction of internal and external messages. Internal messages produce perceptions of identities—propositions which cannot be untrue, and also perceptions of ‘near-identities’—propositions which have a high probability of being true. Beyond these are the empirical propositions, derived from ordered observation of the records of the past and the present, and from experiment. These are always subjet both to error, and the reduction of error. Each field of knowledge has to find its appropriate method, depending on the nature of the system about which knowledge is sought. These systems may be classified as predictable (with stable parameters) and partially predictable (systems involving information, or subject to parametric change.) It is a mistake to transfer methods appropriate in one field to another, where they may be inappropriate. IS - 2 JF - European Journal of Operational Research EP - 116 TI - The epistemology of complex systems VL - 30 SP - 110 KW - complex_systems KW - epistemology KW - knowledge AU - Boulding, Kenneth PY - 1987/06// ER -