WHY THE FUTURE IS NOT WHAT IT WAS - NEW MODELS OF EVOLUTION

Equilibrium models deriving from the mechanistic Newtonian paradigm were unsatisfactory for anticipating the future, with its dimensions of evolution, instability and change. Structural instability and evolutionary change find legitimate expression in models of complex systems described by non-linear dynamics. This article examines such evolutionary models and assesses their application to human systems, particularly relating to environmental issues. The co-evolutionary model emphasizes how human values and actions affect future system outcomes, and how future strategies can thus be derived. © 1990.