The Development of Systems Thinking from Philosophy

From: Michael C. Jackson’s Critical Systems Thinking and the Management of Complexity

Jackson does not treat systems thinking as a recent technical innovation, but as the culmination of centuries of philosophical work.

Kant

Organicism and Epistemic Limits
Kant's work in Critique of Judgment provides a foundation for systems thinking in several key respects:

*Organicism: For Kant, living systems should be understood not merely as collections of parts but as wholes in which each part exists for and through the whole. This early notion of holism aligns with modern systems thinking, especially in biology and ecology.

Epistemological Caution: Kant emphasised the limits of mechanistic explanations, particularly in the life sciences. He insisted that our understanding of organisms must acknowledge both causal and teleological explanations (i.e., purpose-driven), even if the latter cannot be fully known.
This led to an enduring systems principle: mechanistic reductionism is inadequate for grasping complex wholes.

Dialectics and the Logic of Wholeness
Hegel extends Kantian ideas into the social and historical domains:

Dialectical Method: For Hegel, progress and understanding emerge through the conflict and resolution of opposites (thesis–antithesis–synthesis). This has strong resonance with systems dynamics, feedback loops, and the understanding of contradictions and change within systems.
Totality: Hegel insists that the truth of any element lies only in its relation to the whole. This led to an ontological holism—systems exist not merely as sums of parts but as dynamic totalities.
His influence is particularly felt in critical systems thinking, which embraces contradiction, conflict, and emergent change.

Phenomenology and Observer Dependence
Husserl contributes a new dimension to systems thought—subjectivity and lived experience:

Phenomenological Reduction: Husserl sought to examine phenomena as they appear to consciousness, bracketing out assumptions. This resonates with soft systems methodology (SSM), where practitioners explore how different stakeholders construct the world.
Intentionality and Lifeworld: Systems are not simply external objects; they are also experienced differently by different actors. Systems thinking thus moves beyond objectivism, acknowledging that systems analysis involves subjective interpretation.
Husserl’s ideas paved the way for second-order cybernetics and constructivist systems thinking, where the observer is part of the system being observed.

Pragmatism and Inquiry as Systemic
Dewey’s pragmatic philosophy contributed an action-oriented, democratic perspective:

Inquiry as Problem-Solving: Dewey saw knowledge as emerging through cycles of problem–hypothesis–action–reflection, a model that mirrors systems methodologies such as Action Research and SSM.
Democracy and Participation: He emphasised participatory inquiry, reflecting a commitment to pluralism, which is foundational in soft and critical systems approaches.
Contextualism: Dewey rejected rigid absolutes and instead saw understanding as situated. This supports a situational approach to systems methodologies, in which tools are selected based on contextual appropriateness.

I find it interesting how many of these writers are also involved in the development of Continental Philosophy