商品簡介
This volume provides summaries of plenary sessions at the July 2000 World Congress of the Systems Sciences held in conjunction with the 44th annual meeting of the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). The 31 presentations are divided into eight sections: theories for complex systems; emerging foci on systems research and practice; human systems in the 21st century; the challenge of sustainability; the art and science of forecasting in the age of global warming; the Y2K "problem"; the future of systems science; and presidential addresses (from the past, present, and incoming presidents of ISSS). Topics include the history of sociocybernetics, RC51, of the International Sociological Association; systems practice in the UK's Open University; on misdirected systems; the complexity of performance and the instruments of mastery; energy, hierarchy, and money; why the century date change occurred so smoothly; and systems thinking for the 21st century. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)