The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) is a worldwide organization for

systems sciences Systems science, also referred to as systems research or simply systems, is a Transdisciplinarity, transdisciplinary field that is concerned with understanding simple and complex systems in nature and society, which leads to the advancements of f ...

. The overall purpose of the ISSS is:

to promote the development of conceptual frameworks based on general system theory, as well as their implementation in practice. It further seeks to encourage research and facilitate communication between and among scientists and professionals from various disciplines and professions at local, regional, national, and international levels.

Initially conceived in 1954 as the ''Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory'', and started in 1955/56, the Society for General Systems Research became the first interdisciplinary and international co-operation in the field of

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 ...

and

systems science Systems science, also referred to as systems research or simply systems, is a transdisciplinary field that is concerned with understanding simple and complex systems in nature and society, which leads to the advancements of formal, natural, socia ...

. In 1988 it was renamed to the International Society for the Systems Sciences.

History

The society was initiated in 1954 by biologists

Ludwig von Bertalanffy Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (19 September 1901 – 12 June 1972) was an Austrian biologist known as one of the founders of general systems theory (GST). This is an interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components, app ...

and Ralph Gerard, economist

Kenneth Boulding Kenneth Ewart Boulding (; January 18, 1910 – March 18, 1993) was an English-born American economist, educator, peace activist, and interdisciplinary philosopher.David LatzkoKenneth E. Boulding Comments at personal.psu.edu. Accessed 24 April 20 ...

, and mathematician

Anatol Rapoport Anatol Borisovich Rapoport (; ; May 22, 1911January 20, 2007) was an American mathematical psychologist. He contributed to general systems theory, to mathematical biology and to the mathematical modeling of social interaction and stochastic ...

at the Stanford

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) is an interdisciplinary research institution at Stanford University designed to advance the frontiers of knowledge about human behavior and society, and contribute to the resoluti ...

. They called a meeting at 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 ...

meeting in Berkeley in 1954. At this meeting, attended by seventy people, the society was conceived as the ''Society for the Advancement of General Systems Theory''. The next year Boulding, Gerard and Rapoport started working with James Grier Miller at the Mental Health Research Institute of the University of Michigan. There the society got underway as "Society for General Systems Research". The statement of the mission of the society was formulated with the following four objectives: * to investigate the isomorphy of concepts, laws, and models in various fields, and to help in useful transfers from one field to another * to encourage the development of adequate theoretical models in areas which lack them * to eliminate the duplication of theoretical efforts in different fields * to promote the unity of science through improving the communication among specialists. In the 1960s local chapters were established in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C, and Florida. Annual meetings were held in the winter, and annually a General Systems Yearbook was published. Periodical articles were published in the society's journal ''Behavioral Science'', and additionally "The Bulletin" offered regional and thematic publications. In 1971 the Society had 1100 individual and 6 institutional members, and a membership in some societies affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 1988, the society was renamed the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS). to "reflect its broadening scope".

Activities

Important activities of the Society are: * the '' General Systems Yearbook'' * the ''General Systems Bulletin'' * the Special Integration Groups A listing of the Special Integration Groups (SIGs) gives an idea of the themes of ongoing development in the Society:

Presidents

Among the Presidents of ISSS have been foremost scientists from several fields and countries, including some Nobel laureates: * Yiannis Laouris, 2025–2026 * Gary R. Smith, 2024–2025 * Michele Friend, 2023–2024 * Roelien Goede, 2022–2023 * George Mobus, 2021–2022 * Delia MacNamara, 2020–2021 * Shankar Sankaran, 2019–2020 * Peter D. Tuddenham, 2018–2019 * David Rousseau, 2017–2018 * Ockie Bosch, 2016–2017 * John Kineman, 2015–2016 * Ray Ison, 2014–2015 * Gerald Midgley, 2013–2014 * Alexander Laszlo, 2012–2013 * David Ing, 2011–2012 * Jennifer Wilby, 2010–2011 * Allenna Leonard, 2009–2010 * Timothy F. H. Allen, 2008–2009 * Gary Metcalf, 2007–2008 *

Kyoichi Kijima Kyoichi Jim Kijima (木嶋恭一, born 1951) is a Japanese systems scientist and professor of Decision Systems Science at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Biography Jim Kijima received an M.A. from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1976 and a ...

, 2006–2007 *

Debora Hammond Debora Hammond (born 1951) is an American historian of science, former Provost and Professor Emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at the Sonoma State University. She is known as author of the 2003 book ' ...

, 2005–2006 * Enrique Herrscher, 2004–2005 * Kenneth D. Bailey, 2003 *

Alexander Christakis Alexander "Aleco" Christakis (; born 1937) is a Greek American social scientist, systems scientist and cyberneticist, former faculty member of several Universities, organizational consultant and member of the Club of Rome, known for his "study an ...

, 2002 * Michael C. Jackson, 2001 * Harold G. Nelson, 2000 *

Peter Corning Peter Andrew Corning (born 1935) is an American biologist, consultant, and complex systems scientist, Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems, in Seattle, Washington. He is known especially for his work on the causal role of ...

, 1999 *

Béla A. Bánáthy Béla Antal Bánáthy (born 1943 in Budapest, Hungary) is an American systems scientist, who teaches part-time at the International Systems Institute at the Saybrook Graduate School. Biography Bánáthy received his Bachelor of Science, B.S. f ...

, 1998 * G. A. Swanson, 1997 * Yong Pil Rhee, 1996 *

Ervin Laszlo Ervin may refer to: * Ervin (given name) * Ervin (surname) *Ervin Township, Howard County, Indiana, one of eleven townships in Howard County, Indiana, USA See also * Justice Ervin (disambiguation) * Earvin * Ervine * Erving (disambiguation) * Erw ...

, 1995 *

J. Donald R. de Raadt J. Donald R. de Raadt (born 1946) is a Swedish organizational theorist and Professor Emeritus in Informatics and System Science at Luleå University of Technology. Biography J. Donald R. de Raadt studied Economics and Politics at the University o ...

, 1994 * Harold A. Linstone, 1993 * Ian I. Mitroff, 1992 *

Howard T. Odum Howard Thomas Odum (September 1, 1924 – September 11, 2002), usually cited as H. T. Odum, was an American ecologist. He is known for his pioneering work on ecosystem ecology, and for his provocative proposals for additional laws of thermodyna ...

1991 * Len R. Troncale, 1990 *

C. West Churchman Charles West Churchman (29 August 1913 – 21 March 2004) was an American philosopher and systems scientist, who was Professor at the School of Business Administration and Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Californ ...

1989 *

Ilya Prigogine Viscount Ilya Romanovich Prigogine (; ; 28 May 2003) was a Belgian physical chemist of Russian-Jewish origin, noted for his work on dissipative structures, complex systems, and irreversibility. Prigogine's work most notably earned him the 19 ...

, 1988 * Russell L. Ackoff, 1987 *

Peter Checkland Peter Checkland (born 18 December 1930, in Birmingham, UK) is a British management scientist and emeritus professor of systems at Lancaster University. He is the developer of soft systems methodology (SSM): a methodology based on a way of system ...

, 1986 * John A. Dillon, 1985 * Bela H. Banathy, 1984 *

Karl Deutsch Karl Wolfgang Deutsch (21 July 1912 – 1 November 1992) was a Czech social and political scientist. He was a professor at MIT, Yale University and Harvard University, as well as Director of WZB Berlin Social Science Center. Deutsch studied war ...

, 1983 *

John N. Warfield John Nelson Warfield (November 21, 1925November 17, 2009) was an American systems scientist, who was professor and director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Integrative Sciences (IASIS) at George Mason University, and president of the Sys ...

, 1982 *

George Klir George Jiří Klir (April 22, 1932 – May 27, 2016) was a Czech-American computer scientist and professor of systems sciences at Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York. Biography George Klir was born in 1932 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. ...

, 1981 * Robert Rosen, 1980 * Brian R. Gaines, 1979 * Richard F. Ericson, 1978 * Geoffrey Vickers, 1977 *

Heinz von Foerster Heinz von Foerster (; November 13, 1911 – October 2, 2002) was an Austrian-American scientist combining physics and philosophy, and widely attributed as the originator of second-order cybernetics. He was twice a Guggenheim fellow (1956–57 and ...

, 1976 * Kjell Samuelson, 1975 *

Gordon Pask Andrew Gordon Speedie Pask (28 June 1928 – 29 March 1996) was a British cybernetician, inventor and polymath who made multiple contributions to cybernetics, educational psychology, educational technology, applied epistemology, chemical comp ...

, 1974 * James Grier Miller, 1973 *

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Col ...

, 1972 *

Stafford Beer Anthony Stafford Beer (25 September 1926 – 23 August 2002) was a British theorist, consultant and professor at Manchester Business School. He is known for his work in the fields of operational research and management cybernetics, and for his ...

, 1971 *

Bertram Gross Bertram Myron Gross (1912 – March 12, 1997) was an American social scientist, federal bureaucrat and Professor of political science, Political Science at Hunter College (CUNY). He is known from his book ''Friendly Fascism (book), Friendly Fascism ...

, 1970 *

Lawrence Slobodkin Lawrence Basil Slobodkin (June 22, 1928 – September 12, 2009) was an American ecologist and Professor Emeritus at the Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, State University of New York. He was one of the leading pioneers ...

, 1969 * Milton Rubin, 1968 * John Milsum, 1967 *

Peter Caws Peter J. Caws (May 25, 1931 – April 20, 2020) was a British American philosopher and administrator, and University Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Human Sciences at the George Washington University. Biography Peter Caws was born in S ...

, 1966 *

, 1965 *

W. Ross Ashby William Ross Ashby (6 September 1903 – 15 November 1972) was an English psychiatrist and a pioneer in cybernetics, the study of the science of communications and automatic control systems in both machines and living things. His first name was ...

1962–1964 * Charles A. McClelland 1959–1961 *

Kenneth E. Boulding Kenneth Ewart Boulding (; January 18, 1910 – March 18, 1993) was an English-born American economist, educator, peace activist, and interdisciplinary philosopher.David LatzkoKenneth E. Boulding Comments at personal.psu.edu. Accessed 24 April 20 ...

, 1957–58

Sir Geoffrey Vickers Memorial Award

The Sir Geoffrey Vickers Memorial Award is an annual award in memory of Sir Geoffrey Vickers for outstanding student papers at the pre-doctoral level in the field of the

. A listing of recipients:International Society for the Systems Sciences: Student Awards
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References

External links

Homepage
of the International Society of Systems Science
ISSS
introduction on the IFSR website {{authority control Scientific organizations established in 1954 Systems science societies