Systemism, system theory and social system modeling

In this paper it is argued that the traditional modeling paradigm of physics cannot be employed for most processes in the social and behavioral sciences. The critical ingredient making the classical physics-based modeling procedures work is the presence of a law, which organizes the data. The basic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Regional science and urban economics 1981-08, Vol.11 (3), p.405-424
Main Author: Casti, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior/Behavioral
Model/Modeling/Models
Paradigm/Paradigms
Physics
Science/Sciences (see also Scientific)
Social science/Social sciences/Social scientific
System/Systems
Theory/Theories/Theorem/ Theorizing
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Summary:In this paper it is argued that the traditional modeling paradigm of physics cannot be employed for most processes in the social and behavioral sciences. The critical ingredient making the classical physics-based modeling procedures work is the presence of a law, which organizes the data. The basic idea presented here is that, in the absence of a law, the model must be constructed solely from the data by mathematical means. The procedures for carrying out this prescription are introduced in non-technical terms, and a discussion is given of their implications for the social sciences.
ISSN:0166-0462
1879-2308
DOI:10.1016/0166-0462(81)90017-X