How Systems Theory Applies

Systems theory is the study of dynamic relationships, of how systems react and their emergent behaviour. It explains how they form and how they fight back against unwanted changes. Systems have senses, reactions, and an organisation that determines whether they are reacting or in the process of destruction.

Systems theory applies to pattern theory in that patterns are self-constructing systems. I was surprised by how close Christopher Alexander’s theories grew to systems theory over time. Many aspects of The Nature of Order centre around the way systems interact.

In his last book, The Battle for the Life and Beauty of the Earth[Battle12], Christopher Alexander declares two ways of constructing: system A and system B. It’s unclear whether he was referring to systems theory when analysing the fighting between the systems, but his records align with the expectations of a systems theory approach to understanding why things panned out the way they did.

We will start with a primer on systems theory concepts and then move on to learn how recognising policy resistance can help us. Once primed with this knowledge, we can move to new heuristics for recognising whether code is good and find a new definition of good that might upset some people. But at least we can now be on the lookout for bad code to love instead.

Then, we finish the chapter by reviewing other forms of feedback affecting the design pattern movement, anti-patterns, and other pattern forms. Armed with this new lens of systems theory, we can better understand the later chapters and specifically, approach a new understanding of why patterns failed the way they did and what we can do about it.