TY - JOUR
T1 - “Optimizing Models of Social Systems”
AU - Burns, James R.
AU - Malone, David W.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2015 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1976/3
Y1 - 1976/3
N2 - It is argued that deterministic models of social values are just as valid as deterministic models of social processes. The appropriateness of using deterministic optimization techniques in conjunction with deterministic models of social values and processes is defended on the basis of its expediency as an analytic tool which contributes to an understanding of 1) the model and 2) strategies for controlling that model. The entire process of building models of social processes and using them to test the implications of operational approximations of various value systems is perceived as a supplement to, not a replacement for, more conventional intuitive or hueristic approaches for dealing with social systems.
AB - It is argued that deterministic models of social values are just as valid as deterministic models of social processes. The appropriateness of using deterministic optimization techniques in conjunction with deterministic models of social values and processes is defended on the basis of its expediency as an analytic tool which contributes to an understanding of 1) the model and 2) strategies for controlling that model. The entire process of building models of social processes and using them to test the implications of operational approximations of various value systems is perceived as a supplement to, not a replacement for, more conventional intuitive or hueristic approaches for dealing with social systems.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0016928606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TSMC.1976.5409238
DO - 10.1109/TSMC.1976.5409238
M3 - Comment/debate
AN - SCOPUS:0016928606
VL - SMC-6
SP - 207
EP - 208
JO - IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics
JF - IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics
SN - 0018-9472
IS - 3
ER -