Part I — Foundations

This part introduces the foundational definition of a system and the three analytical frameworks that form the backbone of the book. Each framework is well-established in engineering practice; our contribution is applying them systematically to social and organizational systems.

• What Is a System? — the foundational definition
• The Five-Level SE Hierarchy — the decomposition instrument
• Product Line Thinking — the comparative methodology
• STPA and STAMP — the safety and control analysis
• Justificatory Rungs — the epistemic-standard extension to STPA for social systems