Towards a science of systems

Three unique and still timely aspects of Miller's text Living Systems were his citation of 173 specific ‘cross‐level’ hypotheses, his unification of a vast number of phenomena from the biomedical sciences to the social sciences using a consistent taxonomy of seven hierarchical levels and 20 subsystems, and his consistent effort to make systems hypotheses more testable. This article describes and discusses 20 similarities and dissimilarities between ‘cross‐level hypotheses’ and the transdisciplinary ‘linkage propositions’ between 100 systems processes used in an alternative ‘system of system's processes’. It contrasts Miller's use of 20 ‘critical subsystems’ versus use of these 100 ‘systems isomorphies’ as the basis for classification and application of systems knowledge. It also presents analysis of empirical data published in peer‐reviewed natural science journals to ‘test’ the validity of Miller's hierarchical levels with some unexpected preliminary results. It relates Miller's biomedically‐based vision of ‘measurable systems parameters’ to the tenets of the new field of Systems Pathology. The paper concludes with an evaluation of Miller's contributions in terms of recent developments in the natural sciences, systems science and the newer complex systems movement.