Albert Einstein reportedly said, “In the brain, thinking is doing”. Perhaps his remark was offered as a counterpoint to the prevailing argument that doing is more important than thinking. Engineers and practical people in general realize all too well that no matter how much you think unless you do, nothing will happen. You can plan, prepare and predict all you want, but action occurs through doing and that is what matters.

This web site is about thinking and it describes specifically a type of thinking that makes sense of togetherness by deploying the notion of ‘system’, a term that has achieved, in a relatively short space of time, unparalleled ubiquity. We place a high value on thinking. But not to the detriment of doing …..

Another brilliant scientist, Dr. Jacob Bronowski, reportedly said, “We have to understand that the world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye... The hand is the cutting edge of the mind”.

It is clear that thoughts AND deeds are required. Both are needed. Doing without thinking can be nugatory. Thinking without doing is futile. We are not just thinkers, though hopefully people regard us as such; we are also doers.

Over time our web site will reflect not just our thoughts but also our deeds: past, present and future. Our premier goal is to become recognized as thought leaders, unsurpassed in terms of systems thinking. But we understand this is only possible if that leadership translates into a systems approach which enables practitioners to accomplish their goals, regardless of domain be this politics, economics, science, technology or business.

In 2008 we will be offering a series of Thought Leadership classes, based on our book Systems Thinking: Coping with 21st century problems, the first of which are entitled:

The primacy of paradox;
The meaning of of; and,
The simplicity of complexity.

In the meanwhile, we offer you some sample presentations that indicate our intentions to do in addition to our ability to think.

• “From Systems Biology to Biology of Systems.”  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Department of Biological Sciences. New Brunswick, NJ. January 19, 2007. [PDF]
• “System of Systems: Do we need a Definition of Definitions.” INCOSE Liberty Chapter Meeting on System of Systems Engineering: Definitions, Challenges, and Methods. Hoboken, NJ. March 7, 2006. [PDF]