Open Systems Science : Conférence du Professeur Mario Tokoro, Président de Sony-CSL, Docteur Honoris Causa de l'UPMC

15h: New challenging issues need to be solved in the 21st century.  These problems cannot be solved successfully with the traditional methodology of science, based on reductionism. In this talk, Mario Tokoro proposes a definition and methodology for what he calls “open systems science”. Open systems, in contrast to closed systems, continuously interact with their outer world.  An open system usually consists of multiple subsystems with varying numbers, relations, and functions.  Such a system falls out of the direct scope of traditional science, but Mario Tokoro strongly urges scientists to tackle it. The methodology of open systems science adds the new perspective of management to the perspectives of analysis and synthesis.  Mario Tokoro gives some examples of open systems problems to which the methodology was successfully applied.
Mario Tokoro engaged in the studies of object-oriented computing, parallel programming and the Internet at Keio University and at Sony CSL. He also assumed the leadership of software development and became responsible for technological development in Sony Headquarters. N.B. L'ouvrage collectif dirigé par le Prof. Tokoro "Open Systems Science", sera tout juste sorti des presses