Monday, August 06, 2012

UKSS International Conference 2012


Thursday 30th – Friday 31st August 2012
St Anne’s College, University of Oxford   
Final Call for Contributions
‘Global Crises: Exploring the Systems Perspective’
Keynotes Speakers:
Professor Edward Borodzicz, University of Portsmouth, UK
Risk: Developing standards for non-standard events
and
Professor Gerald Midgley, University of Hull, UK

Featuring a workshop with Dr Dario Leslie, Head of UK Ministry of Defence Cyber and Influence Science and Technology Centre

Global crises span a wide breadth of possible eventualities such as climate change, conflict between nations, increased cyber threats, financial instability, pandemics, reduced access to natural resources right through to existential risks that could threaten humankind as a whole and have adverse consequences for the course of human civilization or planet Earth. Some of these crises are current issues whilst others represent a growing risk or potential global shocks. Various risks exist for humanity, but not all are equal. Bostrum illustrates this well through his concept of existential risk, categorizing them by scope (personal, local, global, trans-generational) and severity (imperceptible, endurable, or terminal). Responding to global crises effectively requires a holistic systems thinking approach to the very real issues that exist today and for planning for the potential realization of future risks. This conference aims to focus on how systems thinking, systems concepts and systems methods can be and are being applied to cope with current global crises or to address future ones.
Full papers are invited addressing the conference theme and reports of on-going developments in systems research and practice. All submissions will be peer-reviewed (in respect of academic works) or editorially reviewed (in respect of accounts of Systems practice). Papers will be available in electronic format during the conference, and a small group of high-quality papers will be selected for an edition of the Systemist, to be published following the conference. Eligibility for publication in this special issue will depend upon at least one of the authors registering for and attending the Conference.

Presentations are also invited, either to accompany a Full Paper or as an independent contribution (from an extended abstract).

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