Wiktionary
n. An interdisciplinary field of science that studies the nature of complex systems in nature, society, and science, aiming at developing interdisciplinary foundations that are applicable in a variety of areas including engineering, biology, medicine and social sciences.
Wikipedia
Systems science - systemology (greco. σύστημα - systema, λόγος - logos) or systems theory is an interdisciplinary field that studies the nature of systems—from simple to complex—in nature, society, and science itself. The field aims to develop interdisciplinary foundations that are applicable in a variety of areas, such as engineering, biology, medicine, and social sciences.
Systems science covers formal sciences such as complex systems, cybernetics, dynamical systems theory, and systems theory, and applications in the field of the natural and social sciences and engineering, such as control theory, operations research, social systems theory, systems biology, system dynamics, human factors, systems ecology, systems engineering and systems psychology. Themes commonly stressed in system science are (a) holistic view, (b) interaction between a system and its embedding environment, and (c) complex (often subtle) trajectories of dynamic behavior that sometimes are stable (and thus reinforcing), while at various 'boundary conditions' can become wildly unstable (and thus destructive). Concerns about Earth-scale biosphere/geosphere dynamics is an example of the nature of problems to which systems science seeks to contribute meaningful insights.
Usage examples of "systems science".
About the really interesting and utterly unique things that make history history and not just a dissipative structure, systems science can tell us precious little.
Oh, it's lovely to be invited to participate in Futurological Congresses where Systems Science displays its grand apocalyptic graphs, to be asked to tell the newspapers what America will be like in 2001, and all that, but it's a terrible mistake.