Systems thinkers: Check your scotomas and watch your language!

Abstract

Various belief constructs such as framing, dualisms, worldviews, paradigms, and values are discussed to understand how these might result in scotomas. The observer is not independent and objective but has purpose and values within a group with a language. This leads to an exploration of conceptual metaphor within language as a way of accessing what is largely unconscious thinking and a potential source of scotomas. Examples of the use of conceptual metaphors in systems and complexity thinking are provided illustrating that conceptual metaphors can do work that is not easily performed by other methods in systems thinking currently. Without awareness of beliefs, certain types of interactions or perspectives are neglected; patterns of behavior survive when they no longer serve; meaning is lost and marginalization continues unchecked.