BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

VARIABLE (Relevant) 1)2)

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A variable whose variations practically matter for the system's behavior.

Sun flares do not seem to influence notably the timetable of railways systems. However, blizzards may do. One and the same variable can be relevant for one system and irrelevant for another one. Tides are relevant for harbours and navigation lines, but are not for bus lines (save f. ex. in case of being them connected with a ferry line).

There are also degrees of relevance: some variables do continuously condition the system's behavior, as for example voltage for a sawmill; some others have only incidental relevance. A normally irrelevant variable may sometimes become crucially relevant, as for example a forest fire for the global ecology of a national park.

Generally, variables are considered relevant when their influence is permanent or frequent, mainly in relation to the goals assigned to the system.

Serious problems may however emerge when, for some reason, relevant variables remain hidden from the observer.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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