A brief history of (ancient) systems thinking « Framework 21 - Daniel Montano

Systems thinking is not new. I have been thinking about its ancient history and so far this is what I have gathered:

• 600 B.C. – philosophers used systems thinking to organize their thoughts (e.g. Lao Tze)
• 2,700 B.C. – Egyptians, like Imhotep, showed evidence that he was using systems thinking during his roles as architect, physician and engineer in Egypt.
• 4,000 B.C. – Cuneiform, a system of writing appears thanks to the need to keep track of multiple economic transactions.
• (date pending) – the beginnings of economic (value exchange systems). My assumption here is that value exchange systems were designed by systems thinkers.
• (90,000 B.C.) – the beginnings of organized belief systems. You can find traces of these belief systems going back as far as 90,000 B.C. [1].  Rather than being “designed” the earliest belief systems may have emerged at the individual level. People may have organized, and synthesized them into coherent systems.
• (date pending) – the emergence of spoken languages. We needed communication systems to organize ourselves and our societies. Spoken language is a designed system that has many semi-organized contributors. So, our spoken languages, the basic tools of all societies, may be an example of an ancient, living and breathing example of systems thinking.
• (date pending) – Meaning.  The emergence of symbolic meaning and symbolic communication. Meaning emerges within interactive systems of signs and symbols.[2]
• (date pending) – Culture. Culture is an interactive system between people. More specifically, it is a shared system for thought and behavior. It may be an emergent system that eventually gains organization between its member/participants. It may be the fertile ground in which meaning, languages, and communication systems grow.

Did systems thinking aid the emergence of civilization?

In some aspects we may be able to chart a parallel line between the emergence of human civilization and the emergence of systems thinking.

Why is systems thinking so rare in our society?

So, now the question is…if systems thinking is such an old way of thinking, and if systems thinking has played such a key role in the development of many tools of civilization for thousands of years, then why isn’t it more popular as a thinking method in our cultures? According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers only 3% of our population are systems thinkers. (see also [2.1])

I suspect one reason for this lack of adoption has something to do with a lack of value associated with it and a lack of recognition of the role it has played within our societies.

Acknowledging its historical presence and its contribution to civilization may help us recognize its value.

Addendum: 10-31-08

Most of us are systems thinkers?

Another way to think systems thinking is to focus on how system’s thinking has permeated most aspects of our civilized life to the point that we no longer realize that we’re using systems thinking. Instead, systems thinking has become like the air that we breathe, highly important but mostly invisible and undetectable by our socialized minds. [2.2]

So, in a way, most of us are participating in systems thinking. We participate in it by living our lives within systems designed by systems thinkers.

But there is a huge difference between doing something with awareness of our acts and doing something without awareness. One may lead us to the development of skills, the other may be like going through the motions (zombie, or robot-like behavior) [3].

Why learn about systems thinking? One reason may be to gain awareness of the systems we participate in. Yet another reason may be to gain the critical skills to understand how these systems function and how they affect us and others. If we are going to change and improve these systems then we need to first understand them.

[1] Encyclopedia Britannica Online Edition

[2] Wikipedia: “Semiotics”; “Symbolism”;

[2.1] Wyospace blog “Systems Thinking“

[2.2] Wikipedia: “Socialization”. Also recommended, David Foster Wallace’s Kenyon’s commencement address, May 21,2005.

[3] Another old concept. A related concept the allegory of the cave.