Jan 10 CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE ARLINGTON January 10, 2012

Second Order Science presented by Stuart Umpleby, Professor of Management, The George Washington University.
In the social sciences it is clear that theories affect the phenomenon being studied. Indeed, we create theories in the hope that they will be accepted, acted upon, and the social system will perhaps function better. However, usually scientific research is based on the assumption that the theory does not affect the phenomenon. The result is a gap between our assumptions about social systems and the way we do research. Closing this gap is leading to new methods for both research and practice. Creating a second order science, which includes examining the effects of theories on phenomena, is presently impeded by logical difficulties involving self- reference. This problem can be solved by reinterpreting some parts of mathematics using ideas common in everyday life.