I developed the Unified Systems Hypothesis initially in 1990;
- the paper appeared in the ISSS journal (from memory) c.1992/3, while
- the presentation, originally to post-graduate military students, dates from 1999.
Further developments since include the formulation of the Law of Cyclic Progression.
The Unified Systems Hypothesis proposes that open systems form, develop, sustain, collapse/decay and reform continually – leading to so-called “entropic cycling.”
This, in turn, leads to the formulation of a
‘Law of Cyclic Progression*’
“ Open interacting systems’ entropy cycles continually at rates,and between levels, determined by available energy”
This seemingly innocuous law is, in effect, the equivalent of Kelvin's famous Second Law of Thermodynamics, which applies to isolated systems only. The Law of Cyclic Progression applies, instead, to an unrestricted set of interconnected open systems…Continual entropic cycling is the situation facing us in business, economics, logistics, society, climate change, civilization, etc., etc.
I commend the USH to your attention. I believe it to be a step forward in understanding systems, systems thinking and systems behaviour "on the grand scale."
*“Systems Engineering: A 21st Century Systems Methodology,” D K Hitchins, 2007, John Wiley