Boulding, Kenneth E. 1956. “General Systems Theory-The Skeleton of Science.” Management Science 2(3) (April): 197-208.
“General Systems Theory is a name which has come into use to describe a level of theoretical model-building which lies somewhere between the highly generalized constructions of pure mathematics and the specific theories of the specialized disciplines” 197
“The objectives of General Systems Theory…can be set out with varying degrees of ambition and confidence. At a low level of ambition but with a high degree of confidence it aims to point out similarities in the theoretical constructions of different disciplines, where these exist, and to develop theoretical models having applicability to at least two different fields of study. A t a higher level of ambition, but with perhaps a lower degree of confidence it hopes to develop something like a ‘spectrum’ of theories—a system of systems which may perform the function of a ‘gestalt’ in theoretical construction. Such ‘gestalts’ in special fields have been of great value in directing research towards the gaps which they reveal” 198
Two possible approaches to GST: Find common phenomenon to different schools of theory: an individual interacting with an environment, growth, information/communication, etc. Or, you could create a framework for mapping out the interaction of different theories across degrees of complexity.
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