Systemic Cognition: A Few Epistemological Clarifications

Systemic cognition combines the humanities and social sciences with systems science to support a unified field, Human Systems Integration (HSI). It draws on complementary, sometimes conflicting, fields of research, including phenomenology, positivism, logic, teleological approaches, humanism, computer science, and engineering. It is time to gain a deeper understanding of our approach to HSI in complex socio-technical systems. Over the past fifty years, we have transformed our lives in unprecedented ways through technology, both in terms of useful and usable hardware and software resources. We have developed means of transport that enable geographical connectivity anywhere and at any time, which is now a standard feature. We have developed information systems that will allow people to communicate with each other in seconds, anywhere on the planet, and at any time. Systemic cognition aims to provide ontological support for discussing this sociotechnical evolution and to develop HSI not only based on a Human-Centered Design (HCD) approach, but also by focusing on society, which is becoming increasingly immersed in a world equipped with artificial resources (particularly with the growing incorporation of artificial intelligence), which separates us from nature. This article proposes an epistemological approach that extends contemporary theories of systemic and socio-cognitive modeling by integrating constructivism and research on HCD-based HSI developed over the last three decades. Aeronautical examples are used to support the concepts being developed.