System Methodologies

Abstract

In human history, many different methodologies, metaphors, and philosophies (Auyang SY, Foundations of complex-system theories: in economics, evolutionary biology, and statistical physics. Cambridge University Press, 1999; Cao L, Dai R, Open complex intelligent systems (in Chinese). Post & Telecom, 2008; Dai R, Li Y, Li Q, Social intelligence and metasynthetic system (in Chinese). Post & Telecom, 2013; Dai R, Pattern Recogn Artif Intell 6(2):60–65, 1993; Qian X, Yu J, Dai R, Chin J Nat 13(1): 3–10, 1990; Qian X, Pattern Recogn Artif Intell 4(1):5–8, 1991; Qian X, Building systematology (in Chinese). Shanghai Jiaotong University Press, 2007; Cao L, Zhang C, Zhou M, IEEE Trans Syst Man Cy C: Appl Rev, 2008; Cao L, Dai R, Zhou M, IEEE Trans Syst Man Cy A 39(5):1007–1021, 2009) have been proposed by scientists, philosophers, theologians, and thinkers. Scientific development has greatly benefited from them, as is shown in the history of the physics family. The appropriate understanding of complex systems, system complexities, and the ubiquitous intelligence surrounding and embedded in complex systems, as well as engineering such systems and complexities, require full acknowledgement of the functions, characteristics, and suitability of respective methodologies.