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AbstractWork has been ongoing, at least since Newton's Principia, to develop a science of life and social phenomena equivalent to the natural sciences such as physics and chemistry. Currently, such a science does not exist. This paper provides the foundation for a science of life and society. The hypothesis of this paper is that the methodologies used to develop the extant natural sciences can be used as a model for developing a natural (hard) life and social science. The natural sciences are typified by identification of fundamental phenomena, measurement of and measurement units for these phenomena and formal equations for the relations among these phenomena. Information is identified as a fundamental phenomenon of life. The natural science methodology is used to develop units of measure for information, and formal equations are developed among behaviours, structural characteristics, available energy and information. This paper shows that information is a measurable universal phenomenon that causes the behaviours of living systems. These developments validate the hypothesis and provide the foundation for natural living systems science. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractTechnical and social innovations are relatively new in human history. These innovations appeared in the last two‐tenths of one per cent of the time that humans have lived on earth. Prior to innovations, human behaviours could be described and quantified in terms of the same determinants of behaviour as other living systems. A living system science has been developed that is equivalent to the other natural sciences for all, except humans that exhibit innovation behaviours. A brief description of that living systems science is given herein that provides a foundation for treating the technical and social determinants of recent human behaviours. This article treats technical and social determinants of human behaviour as they relate to that living systems science. The article also relates the science back to James G. Miller's seminal work in living systems theory. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

AbstractMethodologies for managing complexity and change based on living systems science are presented. Managing complexity and change requires an understanding of complex systems and their environments. Living systems science provides a means for understanding both the static and dynamic characteristics of living systems. This understanding is based on identification of the determinants of a system's behaviors and on the relationship between these behaviors and the determinants of behavior. Managing complex systems and their changes requires identification of those determinants that can be changed (managed) and the development of methodologies for analyzing systems' behaviors when the determinants are varied. The determinants of complex systems' behaviors are identified and methodologies for managing complex systems are provided. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This article describes the development of the fundamental principles of the science of life, which are equivalent to those of the natural (hard) sciences, such as physics and chemistry. The natural sciences are typified by identification of universal phenomena, relations among these phenomena and fundamental measures and units of measure for these phenomena. It is shown that matter, energy, knowledge, information and behaviour are universal phenomena of life and that there are relations among these phenomena. Units of measure for these phenomena were previously developed, except for knowledge. The principles of life sciences are developed using the natural sciences (Newton) development model. Names are also suggested for new dimensions of quantitative measures of biochemical, genetic and neural knowledge. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.