Ewart R. Carson – författare

Contents 11. 2. 2. Four Main Areas of Dispute 247 11. 2. 3. Summary . . . 248 11. 3. Making Sense of the Issues . . 248 11. 3. 1. Introduction . . . . 248 11. 3. 2. The Scientific Approach 248 11. 3. 3. Science and Matters of Society . 249 11. 3. 4. Summary . 251 11. 4. Tying It All Together . . . . 251 11. 4. 1. Introduction . . . . 251 11. 4. 2. A Unifying Framework 251 11. 4. 3. Critical Systems Thinking 253 11. 4. 4. Summary 254 11. 5. Conclusion 254 Questions . . . 255 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Chapter One SYSTEMS Origin and Evolution, Terms and Concepts 1. 1. INTRODUCTION We start this book with Theme A (see Figure P. I in the Preface), which aims to develop an essential and fundamental understanding of systems science. So, what is systems science? When asked to explain what systems science is all about, many systems scientists are confronted with a rather daunting task. The discipline tends to be presented and understood in a fragmented way and very few people hold an overview understanding of the subject matter, while also having sufficient in-depth competence in many and broad-ranging subject areas where the ideas are used. Indeed, it was precisely this difficulty that identified the need for a comprehensive well-documented account such as is presented here in Dealing with Complexity.

Contents 11. 2. 2. Four Main Areas of Dispute 247 11. 2. 3. Summary . . . 248 11. 3. Making Sense of the Issues . . 248 11. 3. 1. Introduction . . . . 248 11. 3. 2. The Scientific Approach 248 11. 3. 3. Science and Matters of Society . 249 11. 3. 4. Summary . 251 11. 4. Tying It All Together . . . . 251 11. 4. 1. Introduction . . . . 251 11. 4. 2. A Unifying Framework 251 11. 4. 3. Critical Systems Thinking 253 11. 4. 4. Summary 254 11. 5. Conclusion 254 Questions . . . 255 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267 Chapter One SYSTEMS Origin and Evolution, Terms and Concepts 1. 1. INTRODUCTION We start this book with Theme A (see Figure P. I in the Preface), which aims to develop an essential and fundamental understanding of systems science. So, what is systems science? When asked to explain what systems science is all about, many systems scientists are confronted with a rather daunting task. The discipline tends to be presented and understood in a fragmented way and very few people hold an overview understanding of the subject matter, while also having sufficient in-depth competence in many and broad-ranging subject areas where the ideas are used. Indeed, it was precisely this difficulty that identified the need for a comprehensive well-documented account such as is presented here in Dealing with Complexity.

This book is a collection of invited contributions, each reflec­ ting an area of medicine in which computing techniques have been successfully applied; but why the title? From a control system point of view the aim of clinical medicine is to recognise the deviation of a patient from the space of normality, and to propel and steer the patient along a trajectory back to that space. Acquiring and main­ taining the knowledge and skills of this process is the function of medicine. The first chapter expands on this view. Subsequent chapters written by experts in their respective areas cover a fair range of application. All give considerable insight as to the ways in which the control system approach, facilitated by computational tools, can be of value when applied to clinical problems. The idea for this book arose naturally out of a symposium held at the University of Sussex, Brighton, England, on "Control System Concepts and Approaches in Clinical Medicine" in April, 1982, spon­ sored by the Institute of Measurement and Control and co-sponsored by the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Royal Society of Medicine. It is not, however, a "proceedings" of this meeting but rather a collection of essays that reflect developing areas in which many have particular interest. We think the volume is timely and hope that the work described will be an encouragement for others.

This book is a collection of invited contributions, each reflec­ ting an area of medicine in which computing techniques have been successfully applied; but why the title? From a control system point of view the aim of clinical medicine is to recognise the deviation of a patient from the space of normality, and to propel and steer the patient along a trajectory back to that space. Acquiring and main­ taining the knowledge and skills of this process is the function of medicine. The first chapter expands on this view. Subsequent chapters written by experts in their respective areas cover a fair range of application. All give considerable insight as to the ways in which the control system approach, facilitated by computational tools, can be of value when applied to clinical problems. The idea for this book arose naturally out of a symposium held at the University of Sussex, Brighton, England, on "Control System Concepts and Approaches in Clinical Medicine" in April, 1982, spon­ sored by the Institute of Measurement and Control and co-sponsored by the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Royal Society of Medicine. It is not, however, a "proceedings" of this meeting but rather a collection of essays that reflect developing areas in which many have particular interest. We think the volume is timely and hope that the work described will be an encouragement for others.