B2. What is a State?

what is a state of a system? A ‘state’ of a system can be seen as a position that the system is in, regardless of its containing objects. It is not the same as a property, which would be inherent from its physical makeup. A state is only concerned with the configuration of its physical presence. For example, a light switch is in the ‘on’ state if its switch is turned to the on position, and in the ‘off’ state when it’s in the off position. Whether it’s in the on or off state, the light switch consists of the same materials, nothing is added or removed, it just changed state. As opposed to the light switch being red or blue, which are physical properties that are inherent into the material of the object, a state is simply how the relationship between its components are set. So too with sustainability. One system can be in a ‘state’ of sustainability, while the other is not, even though they consist of exactly the same stuff. This is a critical understanding about sustainability. Understanding that sustainability is a ‘state’ of our society means that we can reach a sustainable society with everything we have already. We do not need any extra ‘stuff’. Rather, we need to reconfigure the relationship between us, our stuff, and each other. We could have been in a sustainable state in the past (and perhaps we were), we can be so today, and achieve this in the future. But we are not today, and getting there isn’t so easy, since we departed this state, probably a few hundred years ago.

From the SiD Book

We have discussed systems consisting of a set of objects and their interrelations. Systems are dynamic, respond to influences from the outside and inside, and exhibit behavior whose causes cannot be reduced to single objects or connections. The cause and effects of these system behaviors can not easily be distinguished. They can, however, exhibit patterns that allow you to understand and work with systems effectively. These patterns are often ‘emergent’, meaning they arise out of their mutual interaction and not due to any particular object or connection alone. The complex emerging behavior of systems is called system dynamics. Studying system dynamics allows insight and understanding in dealing with systems in the real world, be they political, technological, biological, or of another nat...