Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
“If someone were to analyze current notions and fashionable catchwords, he would find 'systems' high on the list. The concept has pervaded all fields of science and penetrated into popular thinking, jargon, and mass media.” In keeping with this fashion, Science presents this week a special issue with emphasis on systems biology. And we note that this is a trend with remarkable staying power, for the words quoted above were written not for today's issue of Science, but rather in Ludwig von Bertalanffy's 1967 introduction to his book, General System Theory,* a compilation of his writings, some of which date back to 1940!
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Chong et al. (2002) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: