The Tao of Systems Thinking: Exploring the Parallels Between Eastern Mysticism and Systems Thinking

by Michael McCurley, Lao Tzu

There are many parallels between the ideas of Tao Te Ching , written 2,500 years ago by Lao Tzu, and those of Systems Thinking, which has come into prominence with the advent of modern personal computers, through people like Jay W. Forrester, and other thinkers such as Donella Meadows and Fritjof Capra.

This book invites us to consider certain timeless wisdoms related to Systems Thinking, and provides us with a few points to explore as we face major challenges for resolving issues we confront for our future. Implicit in all of this are the roles we play in what our world has become, and how we could change or improve if we become more aware of who we are individually and collectively as a species.

This book also contains a complete English version of Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, which has been translated by the author. The book has also been updated to match passages and commentaries for easier reading. Commentaries have been carefully researched and include hyperlinks to more than a hundred sources in the Bibliography of Links and References for further exploration.

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 3, 2016

Reviews

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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[Emm Salinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I initially found myself indecisive between this one and similar titles, it soon became clear I picked the right one as I was deeply immersed into its narrative.

The book describes how to correctly build an organised structure of systems thinking whilst exploring physics and the universe.

[Ovidiu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Forced parallels, examples that sometimes make no sense. It seems to me the author just wanted to shock everybody by stringing together two concepts from very different areas. It's not 100% bad, I did finish the book.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low key

If this is supposed to be a translation of the Dao of Laozi, it misses the mark by a fair amount. It's in the park, but it is a very big park to get lost in. It's a nice quiet and relaxing read at any rate, scientifically accurate but organically full of soul.

[Robert Bozsik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have a lot passive agressive political mood, even if I agree with some of them, on a spiritual book I dont like to see this.

[Lynne Kellermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that makes you think. Some of what it says about human behaviors may be historically dated, but that's not surprising since the Tao Te Ching is more than 2,000 years old.

The discussion of systems is interesting, especially when we consider the role of how entropy erodes what people create and how individuals are totally bound by their own frames of reference.

It's a good read for those who consider anthropogenic impacts on this planet and our outlooks for the future. It does make me reflect.