Concept · Systems Thinking
System Dynamics
Origin: Jay Forrester (1950s)
Biological Parallel
Introduce wolves to Yellowstone in 1995, and within a decade, rivers change course. Wolves hunt elk, elk avoid valleys, willows regrow, beavers return, beaver dams alter hydrology, and new habitats emerge. Jay Forrester formalized system dynamics in the 1950s to model such cascading effects, but ecosystems have been teaching this for millions of years: change one variable and watch second-, third-, and fourth-order consequences ripple through the network.