***** To join INSNA, visit http://www.insna.org *****

Dear Ryan,
 
You are mixing, in my opinion, a realist and a constructivist discourse
about systems. From my perspective, the systems remain constructs. The
hypotheses are disturbed by the observations. Thus, it becomes important to
develop measures when the variation exhibits more systemness or not.
However, this presumes specification of the system(s) of reference. I am not
intending to set boundaries. We can quietly leave that to management and
politics.
 
Best wishes, Loet

Disturbances is an interesting term. I say open system, you say closed
systems with disturbances. What is the difference? I think the
difference is profound.

The 21st century will be the one of unintended
consequences...disturbances. The morality of our science will hinge on
who sets the boundaries--as it always has. The boundary between myth
and history was once thin then fat and is now thin again. The boundary
between network and context is everything. SNA wants it to be fat, but
it is always and everywhere very thin...gossamer at best.
 


_____________________________________________________________________
SOCNET is a service of INSNA, the professional association for social
network researchers (http://www.insna.org). To unsubscribe, send
an email message to [log in to unmask] containing the line
UNSUBSCRIBE SOCNET in the body of the message.