Abstract
An ontological basis for system thinking provides a new underpinning for world views and a theory of change. In this model, the existence of an object or the occurrence of an event is established by bounding acts that I label reality processes. An object or event is reified by specifying the boundaries of an event presented in a domain different from the reality of the process. Consciousness of reality, of any object, arises from an articulation of one reality process by a process set in a different reality.
The act of bounding that creates an object or event is an elemental form of change. It induces conflict, identifies the dilemmas that pervade every discourse, and sets the stage for dealing with issues of power, value conflicts and social change.
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