Quantitative Analysis of Industrial Systems: Intellectual Framing

摘要: The reduction of natural phenomena into predictable local environments and repeatable processes is the basis of the industrial system and the synthesis of products generated by that system. The industrial system is embedded in the larger social and natural environment, and to tackle major challenges such as sustainable development the reduction and synthesis approach is not sufficient. It needs to be complemented by systems thinking, which is about understanding reality as a set of interrelated and diverse elements and studying complex phenomena from the perspective of different scientific disciplines.Reality has two spheres: First the biophysical sphere that exists independently of human observers and for which claims can be made that can be empirically verified or falsified. Second, the social sphere of causation that constitutes relations among humans, relations between humans and biophysical objects, and between humans and social institutions.