A system is defined by a set of distinctive relationships among a group of components that interact with one another and their environment through the exchange of energy, matter, and/or information. These relationships produce a new entity, the whole, that requires its own level of analysis. The technical use of the concept of a system in science and technology dates back to the 1950s. Systems thinking subsequently become a catchall term for different postwar developments in a variety of fields, such as cybernetics, information theory, network theory, game theory, automaton theory, systems science and engineering, and operations research. An underlying theme in these developments is a shift from reductionistic thinking and compartmentalized organization to holistic thinking aimed at understanding linkages among parts and increasing organizational communication. The rise of systems thinking has broad ethical and societal implications that range from practical...