>>> James Farmelant <farmelantj at juno.com> 11/03/99 04:03PM >>>As Sam has suggested, dialectics can be thought of as a type
of systems theory. BTW you might wish to take a look at
the Fall 1998 issue of *Science & Society* which was devoted
to dialectics. In particular you might wish to see Richard
Levins' article "Dialectics and Systems Theory" in which
Levins recounts his discussions with John Maynard
Smith of the relationships between dialectics and systems
theory and why in his opinion that systems theory despite
its usefulness cannot displace dialectics.
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Charles: I'd like to get Levins' article.
My sense is that systems theory is an aspect of dialectics, but that dialectics has more to it than its systems theory aspect. For example, I don't know that the centrality of contradiction of dialectics is also part of systems theory. Nor am I sure that systems theory includes the notion of transformation of quantity into quality, unless it is in the transformation of a system into a new system. Systems theory seems to capture the aspect of dialectics that declares for holism and interconnectedness.
CB