Primi passi verso un'ontologia sistemica

In this essay I will discuss whether it is possible to derive a coherent ontological proposal from the premises of systemic thinking. I will claim that systemic thinking is committed to pluralism both in epistemology and in ontology, because pluralism is a natural consequence of the systemic distinction of objects in different and irreducible levels of observation. If we recognize that we must adopt different levels of observation to describe different systemic levels (the well-known sub-systems, systems, systems of systems), we imply that we accept different epistemologies, each having its own criteria and validation methods suitable for each level, and that there are irreducible ontological differences among entities. We are thus committed to ontological and epistemological pluralism. An interesting moral and social consequence of pluralism is a tolerant attitude towards different perspectives and cultures, that can easily be transformed into a general ‘charity principle’ inspiring the regulation of multicultural societies.