Editing Systemantics

{{Short description|Book by John Gall}}
{{Infobox book
| name          = General Systemantics 
| image         = File:Systemantics.jpg
| caption       = 1977 edition
| author        = [[John Gall (author)|John Gall]]
| illustrator   = R. O. Blechman
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| country       = 
| language      = English
| series        = 
| subject       = [[Systems science]]
| genre         = 
| publisher     = General Systemantics Press
| pub_date      = 1975/78, 1986, 2002
| english_pub_date =
| media_type    = Print
| pages         = 
| isbn          =
| dewey=
| congress=
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| preceded_by   =
| followed_by   =
}}
'''''General Systemantics''''' (retitled to '''''Systemantics''''' in its second edition and '''''The Systems Bible''''' in its third) is a [[systems engineering]] treatise by [[John Gall (author)|John Gall]] in which he offers practical principles of systems design based on experience and anecdotes.

It is offered from the perspective of how ''not'' to design systems, based on system engineering failures. The primary precept of the treatise is that large [[complex system]]s are extremely difficult to design correctly despite best intentions, so care must be taken to design smaller, less-complex systems and to do so with incremental functionality based on close and continual touch with user needs and measures of effectiveness.

== History ==
The book was initially self-published after Gall received rejection letters from 30 publishers. After several reviews in academic journals, it was picked up by [[Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Company|Quadrangle–The New York Times Book Company]], who published it in 1977.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Serrin |first=Judith |date=1977-01-05 |title=Why Things Just Won't Work |pages=1C, 5C |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/98263004/ |access-date=2023-09-20 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> A condensed version was also published in ''[[The New York Times]]'' prior to the book's publication.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gall |first=John |date=1976-12-26 |title=Why nothing works the way it's supposed to: Systemanantics |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/122788800 |access-date=2024-01-12 |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=SM3 |id={{ProQuest|122788800}} |via=[[ProQuest]]}}</ref>

== Title origin ==
The term '''''systemantics''''' is a commentary on prior work by [[Alfred Korzybski]] called [[general semantics]] which conjectured that all systems failures could be attributed to a single root cause – a failure to communicate. Gall observes that, instead, system failure is an ''intrinsic feature of systems''. He thereby derives the term ''general systemantics'' in deference to the notion of a sweeping theory of system failure, but attributed to an intrinsic feature based on laws of system behavior. He observes as a side-note that system antics also playfully captures the concept that systems naturally "act up."{{Sfn|Gall|1978|p=24}}

== Reception ==
''[[Money (magazine)|Money]]'' stated in 1978 that the author "clearly set out to write another Peter Principle".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Harris |first=Marlys |date=January 1978 |title=Why Things Don't Work: Three books on systems |magazine=[[Money (magazine)|Money]] |volume=7 |issue=1}}</ref> A 1977 review in ''[[Etc: A Review of General Semantics]]'' states that the book's aim is unclear, commenting, "As a put-down of institutional practices it works well, as good as anything in print", but "As a slam at systems theory the book is less successful, even ambiguous."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Quinby |first=David L. |date=December 1977 |title=Review: General Sematics and General Systems: An Irreverent View |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42575291 |journal=[[Etc: A Review of General Semantics]] |volume=34 |issue=4 |jstor=42575291 }}</ref> A ''[[Library Journal]]'' review from 1977 comments, "Like some of its predecessors, the book pretends to rebuke people for their manifold stupidities, but is, in fact, an invitation to take pleasure in them. That's not a failing, just a fact. Recommended."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Anderson |first=A. J. |date=1977-05-01 |title=Humor: Gall, John. Systemantics: How systems work and especially how they fail |url= |journal=[[Library Journal]] |volume=102 |issue=9 |pages=1018 |via=EBSCO}}</ref> A 2004 review in the [[American Society of Safety Professionals]]' ''Professional Safety'' says, "It is at once deadly serious with all the outrageous contrived irony of [[Gary Larson]]'s '[[Far Side]]' cartoons" and that "the book is one continuous insight after another."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Metzgar |first=Carl R. |date=October 2004 |title=Writing Worth Reading: Review: The Systems Bible |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45453930 |journal=Professional Safety |publisher=[[American Society of Safety Professionals]] |volume=49 |issue=10 |pages=20, 72 |jstor=45453930 }}</ref> ''[[PCMag]]'' called the book "small but insightful".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of Systemantics |url=https://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/term/systemantics |access-date=2023-09-20 |website=[[PCMag]]}}</ref>

== See also ==
* {{anl|The purpose of a system is what it does}}
* {{anl|Cascading failure}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |last=Gall |first=John |title=The Systems Bible: The Beginner's Guide to Systems Large and Small |publisher=General Systemantics Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780961825171 |edition=3rd |location=Walker}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gall |first=John |title=Systemantics : The Underground Text of Systems Lore. How Systems Really Work and How They Fail |publisher=General Systemantics Press |year=1986 |isbn=9780961825102 |edition=2nd |location=Ann Arbor}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gall |first=John |title=Systemantics : How Systems Really Work and How They Fail |publisher=Pocket Books |year=1978 |isbn=9780671819101 |edition=1st |location=New York}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.draftymanor.com/bart/systems1.htm Bart Stewart's Explanation of Systemantics]
* [http://www.laetusinpraesens.org/docs/systfail.php Commentary on the principles of "Systemantics", by Anthony Judge]
* [http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?GeneralSystemantics c2 wiki entry on Systemantics]

[[Category:1977 non-fiction books]]
[[Category:Systems theory books]]