About the course

By Dr Fritjof Capra

During the last few decades, a new conception of life has emerged at the forefront of science. At the very core of this new understanding of life we find a profound change of metaphors: from seeing the world as a machine to understanding it as a network.

This new science of life is now being developed by outstanding researchers and their teams around the world. I have integrated their concepts and ideas into a single coherent framework — a unique synthesis that integrates life’s biological, cognitive, social and ecological dimensions.

I call the new conception of life a “systems view” because it involves a new kind of thinking — thinking in terms of relationships, patterns, and context. In science, this way of thinking is known as “systems thinking,” or “systemic thinking,” because it is crucial to understanding living systems of any kind — living organisms, social systems, or ecosystems.

Systems thinking makes us aware of the fact that the major problems of our time — energy, economics, climate change, inequality —are all interconnected and interdependent. They are systemic problems that require corresponding systemic solutions.

This course will give you the conceptual tools to understand the nature of our systemic problems and to recognize the systemic solutions that are being developed by individuals and organizations around the world.