Charles West Churchman (29 August 1913 – 21 March 2004) was an American
philosopher
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and
systems scientist, who was Professor at the School of
Business Administration
Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization.
Overview
The administration of a business includes the performance o ...
and Professor of
Peace and Conflict Studies at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
. He was internationally known for his pioneering work in
operations research
Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and ...
,
system analysis and
ethics
Ethics is the philosophy, philosophical study of Morality, moral phenomena. Also called moral philosophy, it investigates Normativity, normative questions about what people ought to do or which behavior is morally right. Its main branches inclu ...
.
[Kathleen Maclay (2004)., UC Berkeley Press Release, 31 March 2004. Retrieved 8 May 2008.]
Biography
Churchman was born in 1913 in
Mount Airy, Philadelphia, to Clark Wharton Churchman and Helen Norah Fassitt, descendants of
Philadelphia Main Line families. His first intellectual love was for
philosophy
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and this far-ranging love for wisdom captivated him to the end of his life.
[Richard O. Mason (2004), "IFORS’ Operational Research Hall of Fame : C. West Churchman" in: ''Intl. Trans. in Op. Res.'' Vol 11 pp 585–588] He studied philosophy at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, where he was admitted to the
Zeta Psi fraternity. He earned a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
in 1935, a
master's in 1936, and a
PhD in 1938, all in philosophy. One of his teachers was
Edgar A. Singer, who had been a student at Harvard of the philosopher and psychologist
William James
William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the leading thinkers of the late 19th c ...
.
Before completing his dissertation, in 1937, he became Instructor of Philosophy, also at the University of Pennsylvania. Churchman's dissertation was ultimately completed under Henry Bradford Smith, titled "Towards a General Logic of Propositions" (1938). Upon finishing his degree, he was appointed assistant professor at the university. During World War II, Churchman headed the mathematical section of the U.S. Ordnance Laboratory at the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia and devised a way to test small arms ammunition and detonators based on the statistical methods of bioassay.
He also investigated the theory of detonation, applying high-speed photography. In 1945, back in Pennsylvania he was elected Chairman of the Department of Philosophy. In 1951, Churchman moved to the
Case Institute of Technology in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
, and until 1957 he was Professor of Engineering Administration at Case. In 1957, he joined the faculty of the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
and remained there as a Professor Emeritus after his retirement.
During 1946–1954, he served as the secretary and program chairman of the American
Philosophy of Science Association. He is a fellow of the
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
. Churchman was a founding member of TIMS, now
INFORMS, and was its ninth president in 1962. In 1989, Churchman was elected president of the
International Society for the Systems Sciences.
Churchman edited the journal ''Philosophy of Science'' for a long period beginning in 1948. He was also the first editor-in-chief of the journal ''
Management Science
Management science (or managerial science) is a wide and interdisciplinary study of solving complex problems and making strategic decisions as it pertains to institutions, corporations, governments and other types of organizational entities. It is ...
'' in 1954.
Churchman has been cited by
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...
as the only professor from whom he learned anything as an undergraduate. European students of C. West Churchman are
Werner Ulrich and
Kristo Ivanov who developed his work in related fields and contributed to its diffusion in Europe. American students of Churchman who have documented their understanding and application of his work are
Ian Mitroff an
Richard O. Mason
Churchman died in 2004 in
Bolinas, California.
Work
Churchman made significant contributions in the fields of
management science
Management science (or managerial science) is a wide and interdisciplinary study of solving complex problems and making strategic decisions as it pertains to institutions, corporations, governments and other types of organizational entities. It is ...
,
operations research
Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a branch of applied mathematics that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve management and ...
and
systems theory
Systems theory is the Transdisciplinarity, transdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or artificial. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, de ...
. During a career spanning six decades, Churchman investigated a vast range of topics such as
accounting
Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
, research and development
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
,
city planning,
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
,
mental health
Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
,
space exploration
Space exploration is the process of utilizing astronomy and space technology to investigate outer space. While the exploration of space is currently carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration is conducted bo ...
, and
peace and conflict studies.
Churchman became internationally recognized due to his then radical concept of incorporating ethical values into operating systems. Hasan Ozbekhan, his friend, in ''The Predicament of Mankind'' proposal to the
Club of Rome incorporated ethical values in the 49 Continuous Critical Problems that constitute the Global Problematique. The proposal was not accepted because it was "too humanistic"
Personal life
His wife Gloria Churchman died in 2009. About her husband, she said, "Academic philosophy wasn't satisfying to him. He demanded that philosophy have meaning in the world. He wanted to insert an ethical dimension into science. And he really made it his job to remind all these CEOs that they had ethical responsibilities."
"He was a tremendous teacher. People would flock to his class," Gloria Churchman said. "He always kept you on the edge of your chair, because he was a very, very exciting lecturer. He had students from everywhere, all over the world."
Professor Churchman and Gloria Churchman are survived by their son Daniel Wharton Churchman (Josh) of Bolinas, his daughter-in-law Joy Churchman and two grandchildren, Jenna and Kyle Churchman.
Recognition
Churchman's honors include the
Academy of Management
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the g ...
’s Best Book in Management Award and the McKinsey Book Award, both in 1968.
[C. West Churchman, Ninth President of TIMS 1962](_blank)
, retrieved 22 October 2007. In 1965 he was elected as a
Fellow of the American Statistical Association. His work was further honored through three honorary doctorates given to him by the
Washington University in St. Louis in 1975, the
University of Lund, Sweden in 1984, and the
Umeå University, Sweden in 1986. In 1983, Churchman received th
Berkeley Citation one of the campus's highest awards. In 1999 he received the LEO Award for Lifetime Exceptional Achievement in Information Systems.
He was elected to the 2002 class of
Fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
s of the
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is an international society for practitioners in the fields of operations research
Operations research () (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often s ...
.
The West Churchman Memorial Prize was awarded in 2014, during the 10th Brazilian Congress of systems, conducted by CORS - USP, after a selection carried out by an editorial committee, composed of researchers from several countries. The purpose of it was to provide recognition to an important systemic research work developed within the highest ethical and methodological standards as advocated C. West Churchman.
Publications
Churchman wrote some 15 books and edited another 9 books:
[An overview of his articles is given in: Werner Ulrich (2006), . Werner Ulrich's Home Page: C.W. Churchman. Retrieved 10 May 2008.]
* 1938, ''Towards a General Logic of Propositions'', Ph.D. Dissertation.
* 1940,
Elements of Logic and Formal Science', J.B. Lippincott Co., New York.
* 1940, ''Euclid Vindicated of Every Blemish'', Translator, Saccheri's.
* 1946, ''Psychologistics'', with
Russell L. Ackoff.
* 1948, ''Theory of Experimental Inference'', Macmillan Publishers, New York.
* 1950, ''Methods of Inquiry: Introduction to Philosophy and Scientific Method'', with Russell L. Ackoff, Educational Publications, St. Louis, Missouri, Missouri.
* 1956, ''Costs, Utilities, and Values, Sections I and II''.
* 1957,
Introduction to Operations Research', with Russell L. Ackoff & E.L. Arnoff, J. Wiley and Sons, New York.
* 1960,
Prediction and Optimal Decision', Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
* 1968, ''Challenge to Reason'', McGraw-Hill, New York.
* 1968/1979,
The Systems Approach', Delacorte Press, New York.
* 1971, ''The Design of Inquiring Systems, Basic Concepts of Systems and Organizations'', Basic Books, New York.
* 1975, ''Thinking for Decisions: Deductive Quantitative Methods'', Science Research Associates, Chicago, Illinois.
* 1979, ''The Systems Approach and Its Enemies'', Basic Books, New York.
* 1982, ''Thought and Wisdom; The Gaither Lectures'', Intersystems Publications, Seaside, California.
Books edited by C. West Churchman.
* 1947, ''Measurement of Consumer Interest'', ed. with Russell L. Ackoff, and M. Wax.
* 1959, ''Measurement: Definitions and Theories'', ed. with P. Ratoosh.
* 1959, ''Experience and Reflection by Edgar A. Singer, Jr.'', ed.
* 1960, ''Management Sciences'', ed. with M. Verhulst.
* 1975, ''Systems and Management Annual 1975'', ed.
* 1976, ''Design Methods and Theories'', ed.
* 1976, ''World Modelling: A Dialogue'', ed. with R.O. Mason.
* 1984, ''Natural Resources Administration: Introducing a New Methodology for Management Development'', ed. with A.H. Rosenthal, and S.H. Smith.
* 1989, ''The Well-Being of Organizations'', ed.
* 2011, ''The Permanent Revolution in Science''.
Richard L. Schanck and C. West Churchman, (Reissue of 1954 book). New York, Philosophical Library, Introduction by C. West Churchman.
See also
*
Boundary critique
*
Co-design
*
Formal science
Formal science is a branch of science studying disciplines concerned with abstract structures described by formal systems, such as logic, mathematics, statistics, theoretical computer science, artificial intelligence, information theory, game t ...
*
Debora Hammond
*
Werner Ulrich
*
Kristo Ivanov
*
Umeå University
*
Ludwig von Bertalanffy
*
Wicked problem
References
External links
Appreciation of Churchmanby Werner Ulrich includes obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Biography of C. West Churchmanfrom the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
* C. West Churchman's profile at th
Interview of C. West Churchmanby prof.
Kristo Ivanov at
Umeå University on April 30, 1987 (2 hours in 4 sections). With photos and documentation.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Churchman, C. West
1913 births
2004 deaths
American business theorists
American operations researchers
American systems scientists
Mathematicians from Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania alumni
People from Bolinas, California
Fellows of the American Statistical Association
Mathematicians from California
Fellows of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
Presidents of the International Society for the Systems Sciences