Terry Bristol – The Systems Engineering Worldview: Reality's Technological Structures and Functions
Channel: Linus Pauling Memorial Lecture Series
Date: 2021-10-16

Terry Bristol, Institute for Science, Engineering and Public Policy
ABSTRACT
The research reported here is concerned with understanding the components and composition of reality, according to the systems engineering worldview. To start, George Bugliarello argues that what engineers do, their progressive development of reality, is a natural extension of biological evolution. The implication is that biological evolution is, and always has been, an emergent, systems engineering enterprise. Reality, therefore, should be understandable (intelligible) both chronologically and ontologically as an emerging system of technological structures and functions.
As I will point out, the Systems Engineering Worldview is not new. In Plato’s Timaeus reality is presented as the emerging product of the actions of the Architekton, the Master Craftsman, the global systems engineer. 
I develop this approach in several steps. In Step One, I briefly present the modern philosophy of systems engineering, as represented in the works of George Bugliarello, Walter Vincenti, Sam Florman and Herbert Simon. In Step Two, I report on my investigation of the illuminating Uniformitarianism debate in geology, contrasting Lyell’s scientific worldview with Cuvier’s systems engineering worldview. In Step Three, I argue that the historical and geo-physical sciences can never be reduced to the hard, time-space invariant mechanical sciences. What is needed is a meta-paradigm shift to the more general, superseding participant systems engineering worldview. In Step Four, I review another earlier, systems engineering worldview that surfaced in the 17th and 18th century Europe in the works of Leibniz and the Carnots. Thermodynamics and engines are seen to be essential to the systems engineering worldview. In the Final Step, with the insights gained from these last three steps, I revisit Step One issues in the modern philosophy of systems engineering suggesting enhancements and clarifications.

References

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