Definitions for "General Systems Theory"
A set of logical deductions about the behaviour of a class of objects called systems. General systems theory has been developed in order to explain and explore the general behaviour that is common to all of the various empirical systems found within the different disciplines. It is interdisciplinary in nature and finds a place between the level of complete generalisation of mathematics and the level of specific relations within each academic field.
Theory, created by von Bertalanffy, in which complex systems are viewed holistically, as amounting to more than the sum of the parts.
In the 1950s, when computers were new, and people began to realize how they worked, they realized that the principles of computing could also be applied to human society - beyond computer systems, to systems in general .