I have considered myself a systems thinker for as long as I can remember. Believing that everything happens according to a great universal order makes this frenzied modern life a little easier to reason with. We live on a planet that, for the past three billion years, has been home to incalculably vast and unimaginably complex systems of living organisms. I believe that by deepening our understanding of this natural world we will unlock a deeper understanding of our own nature, and in doing so discover we still belong to the system and are not simply an exception to it.
Fritjof Capra, in his book The Hidden Connections, has established a sound conceptual framework based on complexity theory which unites the biological, cognitive and social aspects of life to form a holistic model for living systems that can be applied at all levels of complexity. In Synectics Theory, the elegance of any solution is equal to the multiplicity of variables divided by the simplicity of the solution. This couldn't be more true of Capra's systemic framework. The vast, complex systems that comprise life on our planet operate according to a very simple order, allowing us to reexamine and redefine the major social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.
These five articles comprise the synthesis of a summer of heavy reading, heavier study and an awesome community development project. Enjoy!
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