SYSTEMANTICS. THE SYSTEMS BIBLE

The first thing to note is that talking to a System is not like talking to a person or even to a pet. The command, “Here, Spot!” can reliably be counted on to produce not merely an approach response of the four legs, but also appropriate accommodative reactions of head, ears, tail, and body. The whole dog hears and responds. If Spot chooses not to

We do not deny that occasionally the parts of the nonfunctioning System may be so disposed that a good swift kick will cause them to fall into place, so that the System can resume functioning. Ordinarily, however, such a maneuver merely produces one last spasmodic effort, after which the System subsides into total immobility.

Problem Avoidance is not a form of Passivity. The opposite of Passivity is Initiative, or Responsibility—not Energetic Futility. Problem Avoidance is in fact the most elegant form of Problem-solving, since it actively and responsibly avoids the entire Meta-problem of Dealing With the Problem. Furthermore, since many of the world’s biggest problems

Such cycles may be found everywhere, wherever Systems exist. In Fashion, skirts go up and down, neckties become wider or thinner. In Politics, the mood of the nation swings Left or Right. Sunspots advance or retreat. Economic indicators rise or decline. The pragmatic Systems-student neither exhorts nor deplores, but merely notes the waste of energy

THE FUNCTION (OR PRODUCT) IS DEFINED BY THE SYSTEMS- OPERATIONS THAT OCCUR IN ITS PERFORMANCE OR MANUFACTURE The importance of Korzybski’s contribution to understanding Systems is now apparent. An Apple that has been processed through the supermarket System is not the same as an apple picked right off the tree, and we are in error to use the same w

•At Fermi Number One Fast Breeder reactor in Monroe, Michigan, a special anti-meltdown device was installed to deal with the remote possibility of a meltdown.[b.] The anti-meltdown device failed, blocking the flow of molten sodium through the reactor core and initiating a meltdown sequence. [lvi] [c.] The student is invited to notice that the anti-

IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT COMMUNICATE

To that haunting and recurrent question, despite vigorous investigation, no clear answer yet appears. Even Toynbee, floundering through his massive survey of 20-odd civilizations, was finally able to discern only that: SYSTEMS TEND TO MALFUNCTION CONSPICUOUSLY JUST AFTER THEIR GREATEST TRIUMPH Toynbee explains this effect by pointing out the strong

Hireling’s Hypnosis: A trance-like state, a suspension of normal mental activity, induced by membership within a System. May strike at any time, afflicting anyone from chief officer to night watchman, and quite capable of jumping large distances to infect innocent bystanders.

Corollary #3: THE BIGGER THE SYSTEM, THE NARROWER AND MORE SPECIALIZED THE INTERFACE WITH INDIVIDUALS