Toronto, Ontario
Tollkeepers Park: Canoe unexpectedly found in park in Humewood neighbourhood, part of the #Butterflyway @DavidSuzukiFDN project installed in 2017, natural habitats for bees and butterflies. Park has cottage from the 1850s, in use when roads had tolls for travellers on horseback or on wagons. Grass is following the unkempt trend, as city services are limited during social isolation. (Tollkeeper’s Park, Bathurst Street at Davenport Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20200505The Silver Mill: Strangely shaped 3-storey former wooden-crib grain elevator from 1906, beside a former flour/grist mill on dead end road just north of railway tracks in east end of the city. Building was used as a transdisciplinary arts centre, with municipal art organization vacating the premises in 2018. Signage now minimized, redevelopment into a new high rise complex that will connect to the Danforth Go Train terminal was in council in 2019. (The Silver Mill, 10 Dawes Road, East York, Toronto, Ontario) 20200512Riverdale Farm: One of three sheep in the pen, all in need of shearing. Hair wet from recent rainstorm, temperature rising to spring normals from the record low frost warnings the past evenings. Starting route northbound on Lower Don River Trail and found unpaved sections with big puddles. Opted to push the bike up one set of stairs, ride west downhill, and then push up again into the park. (Riverdale Farm, Winchester Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20200515Ashbridges Bay East Breakwater: Rocky berm shore onto Lake Ontario put in place to control sediment from the west, maintained by regional conservation authority. The park is on lands historically a marsh. Saw a couple lounging by the point, amongst the many cyclists and pedestrians enjoying spring temperatures. Still too cool for beachwear, with strong winds from the east. (Ashbridges Bay East Breakwater, Lakeshore Boulevard East, Toronto, Ontario) 20200520Riverside neighbourhood: Restored cover on backyard gazebo, spring is turning into summer. Trimmed with accent lights for atmosphere after dark. Potential for social visits with physical distancing, if guests come via the laneway. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 201200523
Kadampa Meditation Centre: Bicycling along residential streets in Little Italy, wasn’t expecting to find a temple for Modern Buddhism. Gilded panels on facade reflecting glare with the late afternoon son. About 90 years ago, this was a Ukranian church before the congregation moved, the use in intervening years isn’t readily apparent. (Kadampa Meditation Centre, Crawford Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20200530
Towards a general theory of living systems, we should be looking beyond the singletons of a hierarchical level, i.e. (i) cell, (ii) organ, (iii) organism, (iv) group, (v) organization, (vi) community, (vii) society, and (viii) supranational level. In a scientific approach, James Grier Miller created a list of hypotheses. In the 1100+ page book, the […]
When exploring the meaning of Living Systems, it’s pretty hard to ignore the major works of James Grier Miller (1916–2002) with a book thus titled. In addition to the 1978 book Living Systems (of 1168 pages!) some additions were published in 1992 in Behavioral Science, the Journal of the Society for General Systems Research. Miller […]
For their community of systems practitioners, Systems and Complexity in Organisation (SCiO) UK invited a presentation at their Virtual Open Meeting in July. Presenting in a 45-minute slot, the slides at http://coevolving.com/commons/2022-07-11-doing-thinking-making-systems-changes were covered in 38 minutes, leaving time for a few questions and comments. The agenda mainly focused on “Doing”, with “Thinking” and “Making” […]
On the path towards a publication in 2023, this plenary talk for the International Society for the Systems Sciences 66th Annual Meeting came with a preamble. Slides were provided in advance at http://coevolving.com/commons/2022-07-08-appreciating-systems-changes, so that details might be later perused at leisure. Here is the agenda for the presentation: A. Rising interest in System(s) Change(s) […]
In which ways are systems changes different from changes? Extending the deep body of knowledge in the systems sciences, rhythmic shifts serve as a gateway for exploration. In a rigourous coevolving of inquiries into (i) doing (praxis), (ii) thinking (theoria), and (iii) making (theoria), a coherent systems approach is being recast and reified. An article […]
System thinking, starting from graduate studies, can be a continuing (if not lifelong) journey. In parallel to a professional career in strategic communications, Zaid Khan has the distinction having studyied systemic design in the OCADU SFI program (2016-2020), under the supervision of Peter Jones. He became a cofounder of the Systems Changes Learning Circle in […]
In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
For the @ArchFoundation, #TimIngold distinguishes outcome-oriented making from process-oriented growing, revisiting #MartinHeidegger “Building Dwelling Thinking”. Organisms are made; artefacts grow. The distinction seems obvious, until you stop to ask what assumptions it contains, about the inside and outside of things…Read more ›
In web conference, #HermanDaly says #EcologicalEconomics used to get attacked from the right, now it's from the left. Panel @revkin @jon_d_erickson @ktkish @sophiesanniti #TimCrowshaw #KatieHorner livestreamed #sustainwhat .Read more ›
Complementing the idea of a @longnow , @nfergus provokes the challenge of a #shortthen as the online social media platforms distract the larger perspectives on history.Read more ›
In the history of science of systems thinking, Debora Hammond related the backgrounds and connections of the founder of the Society for General Systems Research, that is now the International Society for the Systems Sciences. Boulding (1956) plays a large role in framing two orientations towards “general systems theory”. Kenneth Boulding used to distinguish between […]
Geoffrey Vickers saw human systems as different, with moral character distinguishing from natural and manmade systems. Gregory Bateson, in a more general view of systems, saw morality as entering in systems processes.
In this review of a philosophical work written in Chinese, a comparison is made between Chinese philosophy centering on the body, in comparison to Western philosopy centered on the mind. (I found a reference to this book, tracing back from Keekok Lee (2017) Chapter 9, footnote 8.
The translation from English "systems thinking" to French "la pensée systémique" misses meaning. "Approche systémique" has lineage to "Conférences Macy", "General System Theory (Bertalanffy)" and "Gregory Bateson"
When one chooses a guiding philosophy of life -- and the modern world has chosen humanism -- one becomes responsible for all the consequences that flow from that choice. (David W. Ehrenfeld, 1981)
