A new system epistemology for sustainable development analysis

Rodrigo Jiliberto Herrera

International Journal of Sustainable Development, 2006, vol. 9, issue 3, 211-226

Abstract: Since its genesis (Bertanlanffy, 1968), the concept 'system' became an essential tool used by many disciplines, such as Economy and Ecology. Nowadays it can be considered a central concept in sustainable development analysis. However, science and sustainable development analysis has mainly understood the 'system' as a logic concept, i.e. that the system and 'the systemic' constitute a language that can be used in order to create a solid description of an already given 'reality', whose basic elements are still given objects. This use of the systemic as logic (or logical-linguistic) ontologically reifies the object for it tries to describe a reality of objects generated by objects. This implies serious cognitive limitation for the development of an autonomous sustainable development area of knowledge. The recognition of the ontological potential of the system concept allows the emergence of a new epistemology, on which to set up a sustainable development area of knowledge.

Keywords: ecological economics; ecology; system theory; sustainable development; sustainability; ontology; epistemology. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijsusd:v:9:y:2006:i:3:p:211-226

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