An essay on Kenneth E. Boulding's General Systems Theory: the skeleton of science

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the hierarchy of system complexity that Kenneth E. Boulding proposed in the article General Systems Thinking—The Skeleton of Science, originally published in Management Science, 2, (1956, pp. 197–208) and to explore the implications of the Skeleton for systems theory and practice as it currently stands. The nine-level Skeleton of Science is presented and discussed with reference to four perceived underlying frameworks within the Skeleton. The implications of the Skeleton and suggested future directions for further research are also presented. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.