Introduction to Complex Thought and Complexity Part 1

Gestalt, Systems, Cybernetics, Information, Organization & Game theories

When I went to the University, I was faced with some beautiful theories like the Gestalt of Max Wertheimer (1880-1943), the General Systems Theory from Ludwig Von Bertallanfy (1901-1972). the Cybernetics by Norbert Wiener (1894-1964), Information Theory created by Claude Shannon (1916-2001) and the Game Theory by John von Neumann 1903-1957

I read a lot about this theories and for years I've been trying to create a model to integrate them, that I'm going to publish for the first time in Steemit, to show the interdisciplinary and common mechanisms of this theories

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life." - Immanuel Kant
"Without deviation progress is not possible" - Frank Zappa

In this first part of the post I'll try to show briefly the general ideas and assumptions of each theory and then in the second Part we will try to find a way to integrate them with some assumptions with the work of Edgar Morin in Complexity and "Complex Thought"

"We need a kind of thinking that reconnects that which is disjointed and compartmentalized, that respects diversity as it recognizes unity, and that tries to discern interdependencies. We need a radical thinking (which gets to the root of problems), a multidimensional thinking, and an organizational or systemic thinking."

"The idea of development is an underdeveloped idea" - Edgar Morin

Theory	Author	Photos	Ideas
1- Gestalt	Max Wertheimer 1880-1943		The whole is greater than the sum of the parts The properties of the parts are defined by whole they belong.
2- General Systems Theory	Ludwig Von Bertallanfy 1901-1972		The performance of any component depends on the system in which it operates. You must use a holistic or systemic approach in which it operates.
3- Cybernetics	Norbert Wiener (1894-1964)		Information is the basis of the control systems. The self-control of a system depends on information on its purpose and on their own performance.
4- Information Theory	Claude Shannon 1916-2001		Measure in bytes information in exchange systems Technical, Biological or social, to study the exchange of messages through the communication channels between systems
5 - Game Theory	John von Neumann 1903-1957		A situation defined by competing interests, each of which seeks to maximize your earnings. A move consists of a decision by a participant or a result of a probabilistic event
6-Complex Thought & Systems Complexity	Edgar Morin - 8 July 1921 (age 95)		The final integration of this theories will be made with the help of Edgar Morin's theories of Complex Thought and Systems Complexity

1 - Gestalt Theory and the emergency of Cognitive Psychology

Gestalt a theory is configuration, form, holistic, structure, or pattern and his cognitive psychology that sees perception as a whole, that can shape vision and the other senses, at his the time opposed to the vision of the behaviorists

Max Wertheimer in his "Productive Thinking" (1945) makes a distinction between Productive thinking as the product of new idea, discovery or insight and Reproductive Thinking that works as repetition, conditioning, habits or familiar intellectual territory.

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." Thomas Huxley

2 - General Systems Theory

- A System is defined as a set of interrelated components that work together to achieve common goals, accepting input data (input) and producing results (output) in an organized transformation processes.

A system consists of five basic functions:

Input or Inputs	-Involve collection / acquisition and assembly of the elements that enter the system to be processed. -Example: raw materials, energy, human effort are basic components of the production system;
Processing (Process or operation)	Involves the transformation process which converts the input data into a finished product. - Example: a ship factory plant, put together the components and turns them in the ship;
Output or Results	- The result of the transformation process, for example, the finished product or service. - The finished product is sold to the customer (end user).
Storage	- involves the temporary storage of data (information); - For example a company keeps stocks in the warehouse, until products
Feedback	- is the return or influence the outputs cause the entrances to balance the functioning of the system

Something very important I learned with Systems theory and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic-Programming) !!!!!

"There is no Failure in life, just Feedback to learn and control your life"

Charlie777pt

- Concept of feedback (feedback): The feedback mechanism is a communication between the output and the system input and the main functions of feedback is to control the systems output, maintain the balance and survival.

Systemic vision of Human Organization

The natural world and the organizations created by man are ordered, with rational planning which is used to create order in value activities.

- General Systems Theory is a theory to approach any structure and to observe or control the external environment as a guidance to understand the relationships and effects of a given object or process, on people and / or other events

- Tt is an approach to observing reality using a series of concepts and guidelines that can be used within and across disciplines and sciences .

-" The system can operate simultaneously in series or in parallel and exist in the environment and is conditioned by it". Kaplan (1964)

- Environment is the set of all objectives within a specific limit, that may have some influence on system operation, because the boundaries of a system are the environmental conditions in which the system should operate.

- System is a set of dynamically related elements that develop an activity to achieve a certain goal or purpose.

- The systems operate with matter, energy or information from the environment, which are the inputs or input of resources required for the system to operate.

- These features are processed by different parts of the system (subsystems) and transformed into outputs or results to be returned in response to the ambient noise.

-A Systems Theory came up with the work of the German biologist Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, published between 1950 and 1968.

- Bertalanffy - Creates general systems theory by presenting a model that can analyze the social groups, and general system, in which communication is an interaction of elements, with a purpose, with balance, organization, regulation, differentiation and complexity.

One assumption in basic systems theory shows a very clearly trend towards integration in the various natural and social sciences;

Human Organizations as Open Systems with Self Regulations

- System: "A set of objects or elements, including the relationships between the objects and between their attributes" (Hall & Fagen, 1975) ,

A set of interrelated and interactive partsworking together to achieve a common goal like a structure or organization of an orderly whole, displaying all the interrelations of the parties with each other and all

Open systems can be understood as sets of elements in constant interaction, with Functional interdependence of the parts , making a synergistic whole, targeted at specific purposes (semiologic behavior) and in constant interdependence with the external environment with multiple interchanges that transforms them;

- The attributes of a system are:

related to the purpose of a common goal, seen as a whole isolated from their environment, but related to the environment because the systems are open and respond to the changes and feedback by interacting with the environment, and contained subsystems with a structure that determines the stabilizing function and / or reorganizing for feedback, which can be positive or extropic (leads to progress and adaptation), and negative or entropic (leads to self-destruction or disintegration).

- Principle of equifinality : an open system can reach its end state or purpose in a multitude of ways, because it is in interaction with the environment. A system tends to equilibrium

- Balance Principle: in which Balance = organization in constant imbalance, with stabilized dynamism ( equilibrium doesn't exist it's an abstraction a non ending curve that never touches his limit)

- Parts of a system: people, objects, processes, external obstacles, and resources available

A system as as "an integrated plan of operation of all components (sub-systems) of a system designed to solve a problem or fill a need" Briggs 1977

- The design model and conceptualization - analysis, design, evaluation, review - are common theoretical approach systems in many disciplines and is similar to general models of problem solving.

- So we can study the information networks in communication systems, whose behavior regulates human actions and expresses the mechanisms of social organization.

The natural world and the organizations created by man are ordered and rational in the planning for creating order are organization value.

- General Systems Theory is a theory approach to any structure to observe or control the external environment and of guidance to understand the relationships and effects of a given object or process on people and / or other events

The types of Systems can be Deterministic , Probabilistic or Stochastic, and each one of them can be Simple, Complex or Hyper Complex

3- Theory of Information and Communication Systems

- Information Theory (Shannon C-1948)
- Measure the information in exchange systems Technical, Biological or Social.
Professor Laswell that I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to him about this issues in Lisbon , defined a Logic language to understand systems

- Who?	Say what?	What Channel?	-To whom?	And with what purpose?
Sender	Message	Environment	Receiver	Objectives

-Communication Systems

"It's the message exchange processes between two or more people or between two different systems - from transmitter to receiver using cycles (loops) of feedback (feedback).

- Implies, therefore, two systems, a transmitter (or emitter or source or sender ) and a receiver (recipient or public) process that occurs through a medium (called channel) under environmental contingencies or noise interfering with communication

- Communication systems with their information networks are therefore the bridge that connects people, plans, structures and processes in human organizations.

- Information theory is a statistical theory that measures the amount of information sent (or received) between two sources ;

- The unit of measurement of information is the BIT and bytes :) and the calculations are made on the basis of logarithmic system 2 (0.1)

Attention: The part of this slide inside the heads it's not from Information Theory or Systems Thoery , because what goes inside the System is a always a Blacbox : I just puted it here to help to understand what goes on inside the human system when processing messages
The first only worries about measuring the information exchange between systems and the second only sees and measures inputs or outputs of one system

The communication system behavior, regulates human actions, and expressed the mechanisms of social organization.

One can study the functional aspect intra and inter schemes of information flows and their feedback cycles and the structural aspect (Borders, Elements of Information Storage tanks and their spatial organization).

- This symbolic system is formed through a code, in which messages are designed.

In the scientific prism point of view the term, communication is not a natural process, so it requires prior knowledge of the cultural code, the language or the language in which to formulate the messages and channels or similar support networks of posts.
This always puts the question of Burocracy and Systems Regulation

"Bureaucracy is ambivalent. Bureaucracy is rational because it applies impersonal rules apply to all and ensures cohesion and functionality of an organization. On the other hand, this same paperwork can be critical as the pure instrument decisions that are not necessarily rational. The paperwork can be regarded as a parasitic assembly which develops a series of jams and blockages which make it a parasitic phenomenon in society."

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Introduction to Complex Thought and Complexity Part 2 - Gestalt, Systems, Cybernetics, Information, Organization & Game theories