We believe that systems thinking should have a strong philosophical foundation. We are not philosophers but nevertheless we invite comment on the questions we raise below. The views we express are strongly influenced by Aristotle, Plato, David Hume, Immanuel KantMartin Heideggar, Karl Popper,  John Dewey, Thomas Kuhn and Nancy Cartwright.

We think that four basic philosophical questions underpin our approach to defining our language of engineering systems and the formation of our axioms, corollaries and principles.

They are:

What is there?

In other words what can we say about what is ‘out there’ in reality?

What is the point?

How do we find meaning?

How do we think?

How do we respond to what is there?

How do we act?

Why do we do what we do?