Relational holon systems science and information theory in engineering practice and beyond

The purpose of this article is to combine previous work on relational holon science with Tom Stonier’s work on informational physics to create a systems approach useful in engineering practice. We define from first principles what we mean by a system, introduce a modern and comprehensive interpretation of Aristotle’s four-cause model to identify the structure of a generic relational holon. We give example applications of the generic holon and link it to practical models of continuous improvement such as PDCA and OODA. The generic holon could form the basis of a systems model that would underpin a range of disciplines including physical, social and biological systems.