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Systems is an epistemology (making a statement of the kind: 'A certain type of knowledge may be expressed in systems language') before it is an ontology (which would make a statement of the kind: 'The world is systemic'); and in the case of work whose concern is social reality it may never be possible to make ontological statements in systems terms.

— Peter Checkland

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More quotes by Peter Checkland

In a certain sense human activity systems do not exist, only perceptions of them exist, perceptions which are associated with specific Ws.

A root definition describing a notional system chosen for its relevance to what the investigator and/or people in the problem situation perceive as matters of contention.

p. 319 cited in: Raymond W. Y. Kao (2010)

We reduce the complexity of the variety of the world in experiments whose results are validated by their repeatability, and we may build knowledge by the refutation of hypotheses.

p. 51 cited in: Rosário Macário (2011)

A methodology will lack the precision of a technique but will be a firmer guide to action than a philosophy. Where a technique tells you 'how' and a philosophy tells you 'what', a methodology will contain elements of both 'what' and 'how'.

The core of a root definition of a system will be a transformation process (T), the means by which defined inputs are transformed into defined outputs. The transformation will include the direct object of the main activity verbs subsequently required to describe the system.

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Peter Checkland (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.