C. West Churchman

Abstract

Charles West Churchman was a philosopher of systems and management, who did more than anyone to bring ethical considerations into the field of systems thinking. He was a pioneer in several academic fields, always driven by what he described as his “moral outrage” (Churchman CW. Thought and wisdom. Intersystems Publications, Seaside, 1982, p. 17) that the human intellect is capable of organising society to solve the great problems of the world, such as malnutrition, poverty and war, and yet humanity allows these problems to persist. This moral outrage drove him to establish new fields, develop a range of influential theoretical concepts, and to work as a consultant to a number of important organisations. He was also a highly gifted teacher and developed in his students an acute critical and ethical awareness in his approach to systems thinking. A decade before his death, a former student summed up his life and contribution as follows (Mitroff I. The cruel science of world mismanagement: an essay in honour of C. West Churchman. Interfaces 24(4): 94–98, 1994, p. 98):

West Churchman is a moral and intellectual beacon of hope and inspiration to those who have been privileged to know and to work closely with him. He has taught us to think deeply about science and management. He has schooled us in the systems approach. He has shown us how to rise above the narrow and unethical concerns of the prevailing disciplines. He has annoyed us with his questions about the obvious. Even more, he has amazed us with his insights. Beautiful ideas flow from sources deep within him that contemporary management and science cannot even begin to understand, let alone talk about.