“In order to speak of something as a system, we must be able to state clearly:
(1) the holistic behavior which we are focusing on;
(2) the parts within the thing, and the interactions among these parts, which cause the holistic behavior we have defined;
(3) the way in which this interaction, among these parts, causes the holistic behavior defined.”
...
"We must not use the word system, then, to refer to an object. A system is an abstraction. It is not a special kind of thing, but a special way of looking at a thing. It is a way of focusing attention on some particular holistic behavior in a thing, which can only be understood as a product of interaction among the parts. "
...
"Furthermore, even though we call a thing a system when we try to view it as a whole, this does not mean that we ever really view the thing in its entirety."
...
“The systems point of view is not neutral. It will change your whole view of the world. It will lead you to realize that the most important characteristics of human individuals are products of their interactions with other people.”
...
“The system viewpoint is a modern, disciplined, version of the sense of wonder. It is that view of things which man takes when he becomes aware of oneness and wholeness in the world.”
...
“To make objects with complex holistic properties, it is necessary to invent generating systems which will generate objects with the required holistic properties. The designer becomes a designer of generating systems — each capable of generating many objects — rather than a designer of individual objects.”