BOGDANOV'STEKTOLOGIA, GENERAL SYSTEMS THEORY, AND CYBERNETICS
- 1 January 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Cybernetics and Systems
- Vol. 18 (2) , 157-175
- https://doi.org/10.1080/01969728708902134
Abstract
Tektologia (1912), the recently “rediscovered” magnum opus of the Russian philosopher and scientist A. Bogdanov, is currently regarded as the first fundamental variant of general systems theory and a precursor of cybernetics. In order to show the uniqueness of tektology, we outline its basic concepts and methods and note significant similarities and differences between tektology on the one hand, and General System Theory (GST) of Ludwig von Bertalanffy and systems approaches in cybernetics on the other. We contend that while tektology contains all the basic ideas later developed and popularized by GST and cybernetics, its clear organizational focus, universal scope, the all-scientific methods and a comprehensive conceptual framework make tektologia something more than each of them taken separately or simply added together. We further contend thai tektology is not a mere variant of general systems theory or some kind of cybernetics, but a unique paradigm of general science of organization. As such, it is the ultimate expansion of any systems theory.Keywords
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