EVOLUTION OF HUMAN SOCIAL SYSTEMS. SYSTEM-TRANSDISCIPLINARY VIEW

Authors

  • Michael Mokiy
  • Olaf Brugman Head of Sustainable Development and Risk Policy Department at Rabobank

Keywords:

System-transdisciplinary concept, sustainable human development, culture, economy. society

Abstract

Abstract

Problem: To answer the question "where is humanity going?" it is necessary to understand what humanity is and where it SHOULD go. Only by answering these questions will we be able to find the answer to the question "How will we get there?". To answer the question "What is a stable social system in a global system in crisis?" it is necessary to answer the question of what is a "stable system", "what is a social system" and "global system" and why crises arise.

 

Rationale: Obviously, the answers to these questions lie in the field of various scientific disciplines – philosophy, sociology, ecology, economics, politics, etc. Therefore, an approach with transdisciplinary potential is needed, which allows interpreting the achievements of various disciplines from unified ontological and methodological positions.

 

Methodology:

A systematic approach will be able to find answers to these questions if ontological and epistemological principles are proposed that allow studying objects of different origins from a single systemic position.

Such a concept, in our opinion, is the concept of a system-transdisciplinary approach. From the point of view of the philosophical principle of unicentrism, all existing fragments of the world realize within themselves a single order that generates them. Extrapolation of such ontological representations to the objects and processes under study makes it possible to look for systemic signs in their development and interpret them from a single position.

 

Results:

"what is humanity."

From the point of view of unicentrism, humanity as an object is a fragment of the planetary biosphere and cannot exist outside of it. Humanity transforms the matter and energy of the planet, just like any other fragment of the biosphere and the planet.

what is a "sustainable social system"

A person is at the same time a fragment of the biosphere, a social system, an economic system. The biosphere is a system that determines the emergence and existence of humans as a biological species. An economic system is a relationship between people in the process of creating, exchanging and distributing matter and energy in the form of goods. The social system is the order of the emergence and existence of social groups from the family to humanity as a whole. The task of the social system is the formation of values in the minds of people. The totality of values determines the behavior of people in natural, economic and social systems.

The concept of sustainable development has been designated as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” From the point of view of the system-transdisciplinary concept, humanity can develop steadily if the principles of its nature-transforming activity correspond to the principles of coevolution and determinism of consumed matter and energy.

«why crises arise». Crises are a manifestation of the systemic law of neutralization of dysfunctions. In accordance with the temporal patterns, the development of human society is adjusted in the appropriate periods. The depth and nature of crises depend on how much humanity has violated the principle of coevolution and determinism of needs.

In order to achieve a state in which the needs of the present will be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, it is necessary to change the value system. The proposed concept allows us to theoretically substantiate the thesis that the four aspects of sustainable human development – society, environment, culture and economy – are interconnected, not separated.

 

Author Biography

Olaf Brugman , Head of Sustainable Development and Risk Policy Department at Rabobank

Head of Sustainable Development and Risk Policy Department at Rabobank

Published

2022-11-04 — Updated on 2024-01-30

Versions

Issue

Section

2022 Special Track 1: Future of Human Social Systems: