Thinking in Systems

a primer

218 pages

English language

Published Dec. 3, 2008 by Chelsea Green Pub..

ISBN:
978-1-60358-055-7
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OCLC Number:
225871309

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5 stars (3 reviews)

"Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute's Diana Wright, this primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life."--Jacket.

1 edition

Listened to the audiobook

5 stars

It's been a while, but I definitely think this book was worth my time.

I found this easy to digest in audio format, even though the subject does require thought. The fact that the world is made of interacting systems is something I think a lot of people intuitively understand, but how does this help us understand the world? Thinking In Systems answers this question, step by step.

(I haven't re-read this in a decade, but still think in it)

5 stars

Clear and illustrative use of language shines through this (and is immediately recognizable from Limits to Growth). Really outstanding short introduction to systems thinking, why systems surprise us, and why systems thinking is also no silver bullet for control of the complex systems that make up our world. The best (and final) chapters of this book are available online www.donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/ and www.donellameadows.org/dancing-with-systems/

Subjects

  • System analysis -- Simulation methods
  • Decision making -- Simulation methods
  • Critical thinking -- Simulation methods
  • Sustainable development -- Simulation methods
  • Social sciences -- Simulation methods
  • Economic development -- Environmental aspects -- Simulation methods
  • Population -- Economic aspects -- Simulation methods
  • Pollution -- Economic aspects -- Simulation methods
  • Environmental education -- Simulation methods