I’m excited to announce the publication of a new book authored by Graham Berrisford.
"A Systems Thinker’s View of Sociology" offers unique and useful perspectives for system theorists, natural philosophers, enterprise architects, and sociologists alike. Graham introduces his foundational ideas and then applies them across multiple dimensions, analyzing Social Systems, Socioeconomics, Social History, and more. A core argument threaded throughout is that policies drafted with good intentions frequently result in unintended consequences or perverse outcomes. It is incentives rather than intentions that drive human behavior.
The e-book is exclusive to and can be freely downloaded by all the community-tier members of Cyb3rSyn. This is book 7 (out of 8 for 2025), available for download for our community members - the current publication schedule is here.
Table of Contents
Subscribe to read more about the book and enter into a random draw for a free copy 👇🏾
About the Book
The book is organized into six parts. Graham first paints his foundational ideas (discussed in his previous books) and then shares his own perspectives on social phenomena:
Systems Theory: This foundational section introduces the core concepts necessary for a systems thinker's perspective. It covers the classification of systems, distinguishing between abstract and real systems, designed and natural systems, and activity and dynamical systems. It then applies these distinctions to social entities, defining Social Systems, Social Activity Systems, and Social Dynamical Systems.
Relating to Biology: This part explores the relationship between systems thinking and biological concepts. It critically examines the Organism Analogy, distancing sociology from biology, and discusses concepts like Social Communication and the self-creating/self-maintaining nature of living systems (Autopoiesis).
Social Activity Systems: Focusing on human interactions, this section discusses the teleology of social entities and systems. It delves into the relationship between Aims, Outcomes, and Incentives, noting that intentions do not drive human behavior, but incentives do, often leading to unintended consequences or perverse outcomes.
Socioeconomics: This part applies the systems lens to economic structures. Topics include the system thinker’s view of Money in Society, the challenge of modeling An Economy as a Dynamical System, and an analysis of Macro Economic Systems, including a discussion of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT).
Some History and Philosophy: This section provides a philosophical context for social systems by discussing Social History, Social Philosophy, and offering a critical examination of Cultural Marxism, often linking its concepts to the imposition of hierarchies on complex social networks.
Social Justice: The final section applies systems analysis to contemporary social ideologies. It covers Postmodernism, Identity Politics (including the "hierarchy of victimhood"), Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Global Politics, Sexual Politics, and the analysis of Perverse Outcomes resulting from these movements.
Two Free Copies
I’ll randomly pick one winner from the current subscribers of the newsletter and one from all new members that subscribe starting today (Nov 16 2025) until Dec 15 2025.
The winners will get a free copy of the e-book.