Information-based design of social systems

Abstract

The dominant framework for Systems Design is seen to be problematic due to an underconceptualized definition of information. A more robust informational foundation is proposed. The Csanyi-Kampis notions of referential and nonreferential information are operationalized in terms of the informational aspects of Miller's living systems theory (LST). Following the work of Rosen, it is noted that a particular entailment ordering arises among the modeling relations of systems. This ordering renders the dominant approaches to systems design problematic. A new category of state-referential information is introduced in order to handle the entailment anomalies. The structure-process mappings in LST are seen as appropriate for preserving informational distinctions in living systems, and are proposed as a means of increasing the overlap between the ontological and epistemological bases of systems. Consequences for the theory and practice of social systems design are briefly discussed.