First principles: Systems and their analysis
This paper is intended to challenge systems professionals to think about systems -- not at the process level but at the foundational level: first principles. System principles at the concept level, and what one understands about them, determine what one practices at the process level -- that is, how one defines ``systems engineering``. When Kant, Kepler, Newton, Einstein, and the others were deriving the natural laws, where was the comparable basic work in the natural order of things: systems? Is our profession one of simply employing some fairly good empirical procedures? Is there a legitimate place for a ``First Law of Systems`` alongside The First Law of Thermodynamics? Who would do this research? Who would fund it? Is now the time? Why should we care?
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-87RL10930
- OSTI ID:
- 10172264
- Report Number(s):
- WHC-SA-1919; CONF-9307106-1; ON: DE93016822; TRN: AHC29305%%20
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: National Council on Systems Engineering meeting,Washington, DC (United States),26-28 Jul 1993; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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