Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vii
3. Figures and Tables ix
4. Preface to the Paperback Edition xi
5. Preface xiii
6. Acknowledgments xix
7. Prologue The Quest for Peace in a Nuclear World 1
8. One The Behavioral Sciences in Postwar America 5
9. Part I The Sources of Systems Thinking
10. Two The Science of Life: Organization in Living Systems 31
11. Three Engineering, Management, and the Military-Industrial Complex 49
12. Four Cybernetics and Information Theory: Feedback and Homeostasis 63
13. Five Ecology and Social Theory: Structure, Function, and Evolution 77
14. Part II The Founders of General Systems Research
15. Six Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901–1972): General Systems Theory 103
16. Seven The Chicago Behavioral Science Committee 143
17. Eight Kenneth Boulding (1910–1993): Economics, Ecology, and Peace 197
18. Part III Evolution and Evaluation
19. Nine The Society for General Systems Research: Establishment and Development 245
20. Epilogue 269
21. Bibliography 279
22. Index 297
23. About the Author 313