Distinctions

Is

  • The behavior of a system cannot be known just by knowing the elements of which the system is made. 1
  • A phrase often attributed to Aristotle

Is Not

Boundary

Systems

Relationships

RelationshipConceptRationale
central toSystems ThinkingSystems thinking studies how interactions between parts produce behaviors that cannot be understood by examining the parts alone.
Illustrated byThe Blind Men and the ElephantEach blind man examines only a part of the elephant and reaches an incorrect conclusion, demonstrating how understanding parts alone cannot reveal the behavior of the whole.

Perspectives

Footnotes

  1. Thinking In Systems