Lecture C2 (2021-02-04): "Applying Systems Archetypes" (Kim and Lannon, 1997)

In this lecture, we review the article by Kim and Lannon (1997) on "Applying Systems Archetypes." This article introduces System Archetypes, a set of combinations of feedback loops that common occur in systems and are associated with a set of problems, possible solutions, and likely behaviors over time (BOT). This article portrays the System Archetypes as tools that can be used in one of four different ways -- as structural pattern templates, as lenses for highlighting subtle but important potential aspects of problems, as dynamic theories for understanding and invention, and as tools for predicting future behavior based only on the internal components of a system. We explore these four different ways of applying the archetypes and tie them in to the scientific method we practice within Sustainability Science which is often assisted through the use of computer simulation modeling.