Vita
Schedule
Academics
Research
Selected Publications
Adaptive Agents Lab
My textbook, (with co-author Michael Kalton) Principles of Systems Science, Springer (Nov. 2015), is now available for ordering.
YouTube Video
Podcast: Tom Scholte for the New Books Network interviews me about the Principles book.
My personal blog,
Question Everything
James Howard Kunstler Podcast Interview
Financial Sense Podcast Interview
A must-see tutorial on Critical Thinking at YouTube
See a demo of my robotics class
Requires iTunes player, or Quicktime.
Welcome to my Web Site
News
I am the Editor-in-Chief of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) book series, Systems Science and Systems Engineering. The series is published by Springer (Mathematics Division). See: http://www.springer.com/series/6104.
This appointment puts me into a position where I hope to influence the direction of the fields of systems science and engineering in the form of greater consilience between the many different sub-disciplines of systems science (e.g. complexity theory, network theory, cybernetics, etc.). Over the past forty years or so these sub-disciplines have diverged as specialties due to a number of factors, most damningly for the academic community due to the requirements of disciplinary tenure. But in systems science they come together to construct a complete (whole) understanding of how the world works. The textbook that Mike Kalton and I wrote attempted to show this. And now I will be able to influence the publication of books that also demonstrate the need for the sub-disciplines to be integrated for the full effect of systems thinking.
Having retired from full-time teaching the main purpose of this web site is to disseminate information on my continuing research interests. My primary interests are in the area of General Systems Science. My textbook, “Principles of Systems Science”, with co-author Michael Kalton, (Springer, Nov. 2015, image to the left) is available for ordering. This interest is an umbrella for a number of subsidiary projects in which I have a continuing engagement regarding:
- The Emulation of Natural Intelligence in Autonomous Agents
- Biophysical Economics - or How our Society Actually Works
- The Evolution and Brain Basis of Wisdom - Sapience
- A New Language for Systems Analysis and Modelling
I hope you find something of interest or use here. If I can answer any questions please feel free to e-mail me at the above address.
[NOTE TO PROSPECTIVE GRAD STUDENTS: As a retired professor I cannot supervise graduate students' projects directly. I will retain a relationship with the University and teach in a part-time capacity. However I will not be able to take on any new graduate students for thesis work. If you are interested in my research projects and wish to work on some aspect of them, I can align you with one of our full-time graduate faculty members who could act as your advisor with me as an adjunct advisor.]