Identifying Vagueness in Model-Based Systems Engineering Theory Through a Materialist Ontology

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) has had inconsistent implementation across industry and academia. This inconsistency is caused by different definitions of the term “system” have led to theoretical vagueness and contradictions that undermine the effectiveness of MBSE practices including metamodeling. By grounding MBSE in materialist philosophy, we aim to analyze vagueness in current definitions of “system.” We analyze the current definitions by using semantic analysis of decomposing their reference classes and intensions. Where reference classes determine the set of objects that a theory refers to, and intensions are the logical decomposition of a statement as it is written. Our findings reveal that the vagueness in current systems engineering theories is mostly due to the inability to resolve the ontological status of information. That is, current definitions do not clearly state how information interacts in the material world. Moreover, we have found internal inconsistencies and contradictions in current foundational theories, particularly with regard to emergence, interactions, and properties in both real and conceptual systems. We conclude that current systems engineering theories are not suitable for scientific practice. Moreover, we argue that adopting a materialist stance provides a precise ontological basis for defining systems, thereby reducing inconsistencies and enhancing the rigor of MBSE theories.