Subject: System Dynamics with kids

Posted by Chad Green on 6/8/2010
In Reply To:System Dynamics with kids Posted by Charles Tse on 6/7/2010

Message:

Hi Charles,

Are you inquiring about second-order cybernetics? That is a special area of interest of mine as well.

Here is some guidance from my personal experience:

1) First he needs to understand the fundamental principle that the space or dynamic interrelationships between objects are most salient rather than the objects themselves. This perspective, which takes some time to develop with practice, can be applied to the self, other people, and the mediating tools we use to make sense out of our environment (e.g., language, technology, etc.).

A helpful visualization is to draw a triangle consisting of three vertices (self, mediating tools, object) with two-way arrows connecting them with sufficient spacing in between (like a water molecule but with gaps separating the atoms). The weight of the arrows (i.e., connected space) should be emphasized over the vertices. What the vertices represent fundamentally is duality and complementarity, so for the sake of discussion you can substitute variables from different academic disciplines depending on your shared interests.

2) After using this thinking device across multiple disciplines, your son should begin to see the complexity of his environment in the form of dualities and complementarities (i.e., three-valued logic). More importantly, he should begin to recognize patterns of thought that span across the disciplines in which you and he have common interest. As a result, the space between the three vertices described above will eventually become smaller and smaller to the point that only one connected whole exists. In other words, he will begin to think in terms of the self, the tools he uses (e.g., language), and the objects with which he interacts in the environment (e.g., other people) as one fluid circuit rather than as separate objects.

The result, I would anticipate, is that he will begin to see reality in a completely different light. For example, rather than seeing people as objects with fixed boundaries, he will see them as reflections of his actions and vice versa (i.e., a heightened awareness of the mirror system in activation). And when that happens, he should begin to help others grow as he will as a result of every social interaction.

Cheers,
Chad