Mario Tokoro: Open Systems Science: A New Research Methodology and its Application to Open Systems Problems

Abstract

In the 21 century, most of the important problems that we need to solve consist of integrated systems with many mutually-related, time-varying subsystems. These systems cannot be treated as closed systems but must be addressed as open systems. Problems of open systems cannot be solved simply by reductionism and therefore require a new methodology. Dr Tokoro proposes a new scientific methodology called Open Systems Science and shows some examples to which the methodology can be successfully applied including huge software systems, medical and environmental problems.