Systemic Definitions of Sustainability, Durability and Longevity - Core

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ScienceDirect Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 221 (2016) 362 – 371

SIM 2015 / 13th International Symposium in Management

Systemic Definitions of Sustainability, Durability and Longevity Liana Rodica Patera* Sanda Ligia Cristeab University Politehnica Timisoara – Management Faculty in Production and Transportation, 14 Remus Street, 300191 Timisoara, Romania b West University of Timisoara, Economics and Business Administration Faculty, 16 Pestalozzi Blvd., 300115 Timisoara, Romania

a

Abstract The sustainable progress of humanity requires a rigorous definition of concepts, models and ways of realization. Sustainability, durability, longevity are key concepts. This paper explores the current definitions of sustainability while sustainability is examined critically. Then are defined, in a systemic manner, using a functional segmentation model of external environment, of resource categories and products of anthropogenic systems: (1) the concepts of sustainability / durability / temporarity / ephemerality of system categories, (2) longevity as the life duration (of existence, functioning and behaviour) of an i-type specimen within the category of systems under consideration. The systemic definition and ranking of influence factors allow future improvements of practical ways of assessing, planning and implementing sustainability / durability and sustainable / durable progress at various hierarchical levels of Humanity. © Published by by Elsevier Ltd.Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license 2015The TheAuthors. Authors. Published Elsevier ©2016 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of SIM 2015 / 13th International Symposium in Management. Peer-review under responsibility of SIM 2015 / 13th International Symposium in Management Keywords: systemic definition, sustainability, durability, temporality, efemerality, determinants.

1. Introduction The major challenge for Humanity in the 21st century is the knowledge and progressive innovation, the foresight of favourable and unfavourable changes on ever longer terms, the actions meant for mastering complexities, crises of various kinds and origins, in order to design, decide and determine the realization of its sustainable progress, on unlimited term in space-time-resources-products. (Teilhard de Chardin, 1948 Mesarovic & Pestel, 1974; United Nations 1987, 1992; Hodge, 1997; Raskin, 2002; Meadows, 2004; Hughesa & Johnstonb, 2005; Romanian

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +040-0256-404038; fax: +040-0256-404034. E-mail address: [email protected]; [email protected]

1877-0428 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of SIM 2015 / 13th International Symposium in Management doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.126

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Liana Rodica Pater and Sanda Ligia Cristea / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 221 (2016) 362 – 371

Government, 2008; European Union, 2010; Bergh & Hofkes, 2012; Deutsch, 2012; Pater & Popa, 2013; Popa, 2014; Rockström, 2015). Achieving sustainable progress Ps (t,f,c,g) by means of {f} functional cycles, {c} behavioural cycles and {g} unlimited generations of entities of the planet Earth within our solar System / our Galaxy / Universe is increasingly recognized as major priority for Humanity, at all levels and in all areas. This requires, first of all, the rigorous, systemic definition of two categories of concepts that reflect global guidelines, fundamentally opposed: - concepts of "virtuous" kind (+):progress P, sustainability T s, durability Td, resilience V, innovation I, competitiveness K, longevity L (as analyzed and defined herein), - concepts of "vicious" kind (-):radicalization Rz, self-destruction Ad. Next, we accept a systemic, overall definition of progress (Popa, Pater & Cristea, 2014) as guidance of researches and models presented in this paper: Progress P(t,f,c,g), as form of change, is defined by the establishment, operation, behaviour and evolution of real systems classes SR(t,f,c,g) characterized by the gradual, cyclical growth (through f functional cycles, c behavioural cycles and g successive-parallel generations), optimized, temporary / durable (on very long term) / sustainable (unlimited) of - competitiveness K(t,f,c,g) of categories of conscious real systems in their external environments (Competitive capacity, Flexibility of product offer, Value of product offer, Availability / accessibility of resources, Efficiency, Demand / acceptance of products in proximate external environments), - structural-functional complexities W(t,f,c,g) of real systems, - structural-functional diversities Z(t,f,c,g) of real systems, - structural-functional integrations J(t,f,c,g) of real systems, - welfare B (t,f,c,g) of entities within the hierarchy of external Mext(t,f,c,g) and internal Mint(t,f,c,g) environments of systems in the space-timeresources-products domain networks {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} from the Universe / Multiverse. The Universe / Multiverse is regarded as a dynamic infinity of space-time-resources-products domains, abiotic and biotic {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} (Kauffman, 1997; Popa, 2003; Carr, 2009; Penrose, 2011; Deutsch, 2012; Ellis, 2012; Greene, 2012; Turner, 2013; Capra & Luisi, 2014; Popa, Pater, & Cristea, 2014; Weinberg, 2015). Within favourable "domain networks", socio-human, intelligent and wise entities may consciously achieve cyclic sustainable progress Ps(t,f,c,g), in symbiosis with human, abiotic and biotic type entities. Entities of abiotic and Science, Technology, Management, Government

Progressivism (+)

Humanism (+)

x

Psychosociology & Culture Activism Activism (+) (-) Passivism (~)

x

x

Stagnation

Sustainable Progress Ps(t,f,c,g) temporary?

temporary?

temporary?

Regress

temporary?

temporary?

temporary?

Progress

Self destruction danger

Important stages in knowledge and systemic action

Extremism (-)

Terrorism & Wars (- -)

No

x x

x x x

xx

x xx xxx

No

Radicalization Ephemeral / Temporary / Durable - Defining and characterizing used systemic concepts and methods - Systemic knowledge and modelling (system dynamics, logic models, heuristic models, ....) - Strategies & tactics & operative programs to achieve progress - Integrative innovation for progress - Preventing radicalization - Strong reducing / eliminating the causes of radicalization Fig. 1. Major challenges and systemic approaches for Humanity in the 21st Century and beyond.

biotic type can achieve, by self-organization and self-regulation, (a) both the resources, products and conditions for the sustainable cyclic progress and, vice versa, (b) the human unconscious or conscious orientations towards selfdestruction

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The majority of known and used definitions of the concepts progress P, sustainability T s, durability Td, resilience V, innovation I, competitiveness K, longevity L are functional, non-systemic definitions. Relatively few definitions try a systemic approach of these concepts, (François 1997; Popa, 2003; Pater & Popa, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to contribute to: - analysing and developing models in a systemic manner and defining the interrelated concepts of progress P, sustainability Ts, durability Td, resilience V, innovation I, competitiveness K, longevity L, - defining and highlighting the priorities of determinant factors of sustainability T s / durability Td, in the reality of the 21st century. 2. Analysis of definitions for sustainability and durability In the specific literature after 1970, two categories of definitions of the concept of sustainability have been developed: (1) functional definitions related to the concept of "sustainable development" and (2) definitions oriented towards systemic approach. In English, but also in other languages, there is no clear distinction between the concept of "sustainability" and "durability" and, in general, the term "development” is understood by its secondary meaning of "evolution". The numerous functional definitions of sustainability have been analysed by many authors (Lele, 1991; Costanza, 1995; Hodge, 1997; Van Marrewijk, 2003; Lippert, 2004; Connelly, 2007; Chambers, 2008; Sandberg, 2010; Koroneos & Rokos, 2012; Zavodna, 2013; Caradonna, 2014). Based on this analysis, critical conclusions can be drawn regarding functional definitions of sustainability: - relatively vague formulation of the concept of "sustainability", generally correlated with the concept of "sustainable development", which led to the overuse of the term, to vagueness and a strong ambiguity, - double limitation of the definition of the concept "sustainability": (a) spatial-temporal, at the level of planet Earth within our solar system that will provide for around 1 billion years the existence of life on our planet; (b) at the level of current knowledge and practice, without vision of the extremely rapid progress of scientific knowledge, of action and integrative innovation in the 20th and 21st centuries and the millennia to come, - limited, undetailed consideration of the number of known determinants of sustainability (natural, social-cultural, economic), which generated a wide variety of interpretations, methods, indices and indicators for the measurement / evaluation of sustainability, difficult to use and compare in practice, - lack of clarity in differentiating the concept of "sustainability" from other concepts close in meaning: durability, resilience, longevity etc. The systemic definitions of sustainability (Meadows, 1972, 1993, 2004; Hansen & Jones, 1996; Hodge, 1997; Mebratu, 1998; Lippert, 2004; Sverdrup & Svensson, 2004; Fiksel, 2006; Glavč & Lukman, 2007; Espinoza, 2008; Espinoza & Porter, 2011; Pappas, 2012; Schilling, 2012; Schwaninger, 2014) bring improvements in the reflection of the content of the concept. In this regard, two concise definitions are to be remarked: x ”Sustainability is defined as ability of dynamic, stochastic, purposeful system, its components, boundaries and hierarchical context to continue to the future” (Hansen, 1996) p.18, x ”Sustainability is defined as the persistence over an apparently indefinite future of certain necessary and desired characteristics of both the ecosystem and the human subsystem within” (Hodge, 1997) p.9. The critical analysis of known systemic definitions of sustainability reveals several aspects: - is not explicitly considered the future progress of knowledge, integrative innovation and action of Humanity in the Universe / Multiverse (limitation of the definition of the concept to the planet Earth, implicitly for the next 1 billion years), - are not taken into consideration the self-incorporated cycles of the change of systems in the Universe / Multiverse (functional cycles / behavioural cycles / generational cycles / sustainable progress cycles) that can extend unlimitedly the evolution of systems in space-time-resources-products domain networks in the Universe / Multiverse, - definitions are based on different models and concepts of systemology (cybernetics, classical theory of systems, science of complexity etc.), while lacking the correlation with a robust system of concepts about systems, - there are trends to define sustainability in an abstract manner, which makes it difficult to understand the practical


ways to achieve sustainability and durability, - there are no clear detailed definitions of the categories resource / products and external environments within the models adopted, which makes it difficult to identify priorities for practical action to achieve sustainability of Humanity, - there is no time horizons differentiation for the definition of the concepts durability T d and sustainability Ts, there is no clear distinction between these concepts. 3. Categories of determinant environments, resources and products of sustainability and durability In the present research regarding the concepts of sustainability T s, durability Td, resilience V, longevity L are accepted as prerequisites for Humanity in the Universe / Multiverse: - the horizon space-time-resources-products- starts from infinity towards present and past, - scientific knowledge and effective, efficient action start from the unlimited towards knowledge and the current human action, - cycles of the change of systems in the Universe / Multiverse (functional cycles / behavioural cycles / generational cycles / sustainable progress cycles) are hierarchically self-incorporated and have the principle chronological sequence ”…. o resources o processing 1 o products 1 o resources & products 1 o processing 2 o resources & products 2 o processing 3 o ….”, - the correlation (under its dynamic aspects: periodical stability, internal durability, respectively resilience, external robustness), the hierarchical and coordinative interdependence” o internal environments o systems o external environments o” are general and essential for the progress, - sustainability of entity categories is determined by their generations {g} within their external environments. The overall, systemic definition of sustainability Ts(t,f,c,g) and of durability Td(t,f,c,g) requires in the first place applying an advanced segmentation methodology of space-time-resources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)}, natural and anthropic. Within the correlative morphological model (Fig. 2) used to systemically define sustainability Ts and durability Td, is made a primary "7 x 7" segmentation of environments external to anthropic systems and of resources / products that determine sustainability and durability: ● 7 categories of environments (Mnat - natural; Mdpl - demo-psycho-linguistic; Mscu - socio-cultural; Mpja - politicallegal-administrative; Mafa – of business; Mino – of innovation; Msec – of security) and ● 7 categories of resources / products (space-time st; Rnat natural resources (products) type substance, energy, information, field, combinations; Rumn human resources as persons with knowledge, skills and specific abilities to achieve sustainable / durable competitiveness; Rsoc social resources - people abilities to work together competitively, in groups, teams / organizations / networks of organizations / clusters, etc., based on the sharing of the same norms and moral values, of sustainable progress; Rmar artificial material resources as a whole in continuous development and improvement of all the human civilization has produced / produce / will produce human: materials, plants, animals, tools, equipment, machinery, apparatuses, construction, facilities, infrastructure etc.; R inf information resources of knowledge type (data, information, existing knowledge stored on different substance type media), creativity, technological and management know-how, new specific human creations etc.; Rfin financial resources as "intermediate artificial products", mainly informational: cash, bank deposits, financial assets - shares, bonds, securities, etc. which provide income - and the capital necessary for the transfer, processing, consumption of natural, material and human resources). Resources can be processed (converted) or can provide processing conditions meant to achieve products and services necessary for satisfaction the unlimited needs of the people. Within the chains of anthropic values, products and services achieved in a sequence become / may become resources for the next sequences of the value chains. Active entities within each environment under consideration cyclically process, in a manner specific to their hierarchical level, the available internal and external resources while generating in time very different natural and anthropic results (products). In a more profound analysis of environments external to anthropic systems and of resources / products that determines the sustainability and durability, the "7 x 7" segmentation can be detailed, in order to define the components of sustainability and durability.

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[● Nature]

Environments natural M(t,f,c,g) Resources R(t,f,c,g) space-time st natural (substance, energy, information, field) KRnat Rnat human Rumn

KRumn

social ** Rsoc

KRsoc

Mnat

Categories of economic agents in the market: ● Householders ● Public ● Companies territorial administrations

● Institutions

Anthropogenic / artificial* environments, created by human society during the 50,000 years on the planet Earth / to follow unlimited in the Universe / Multiverse Mdpl Mscu Mpja Mafa Mino Msec st - universal irreversible resource

natural sustainability Tnat(t,f,c,g) [via abiotic and biotic "natural products" ensures on unlimited time normal conditions for resources and life of biosphere on planet Earth, the Solar System / Milky Way galaxy ..... in other galaxy / Universe / Multiverse] social-human sustainability Tsum(t,f,c,g) [via anthropogenic products called "human communities" ensures on unlimited time the demographic, educational, psychological and cultural normal conditions for existence and evolution of Humanity / Homo Sapiens Sapiens]

human civilization sustainability Tciv(t,f,c,g) [via "product of human communities" ensures on unlimited time the existence and progress of human society in areas Dstrp (t, f, c, KRmar g) of the planet Earth and the Universe / Multiverse] integrated accomplished through: informational ● moral, political-administrative, legislative, and security KRinf Rinf sustainability Tmpls (t, f, c, g) financial ● managerial, ecological, technological, and economic KRfin Rfin sustainability Tmete (t, f, c, g) Products P(t,f,c,g) natural demo-socio-cultural politicaltechnologictechnologicPnat Pdsc managerial Innovation I(t,f,c,g) juridicalmilitary Competitiveness K(t,f,c,g) administrative (for market) (for security) Inat Idsc and Ppja , Ipja, Kpja Knat Kdsc Ptmp, Itmp, Ktmp Ptms, Itms, Ktms Fnat Fdsc Fpja Ftmp Ftms Finality F(t,g) in: competitiveness culture, governance, management, technology, products integrated at micro, mezo and macro levels * Artificial (anthropogenic) environments: M dpl - demo-psycho-linguistic; Mscu - socio-cultural; Mpja - political-juridical-administrative; Mafa - business / technological-managerial; Mino - innovative; Msec - security ** Social resources – people’s ability to work in competitive teams, groups / organizations / organization networks / clusters, based on sharing the same norms and values of moral, competitive sustainable development. artificial material Rmar

Fig. 2. Categories of environments M(t,f,c,g), resources R(t,f,c,g), products P(t,f,c,g), innovations I(t,f,c,g), competitiveness K(t,f,c,g) and sustainability T(t,f,c,g) specific for Humanity

4. Systemic definitions of sustainability, durability and longevity In general, sustainability Ts(t,f,c,g) and durability Td(t,f,c,g) are integrated cyclical qualities of the whole ” o internal environments Mint o real system categories SR o external environments Mext o” within the value chains / trophic chains from the space-time-resources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} in the Universe / Multiverse. The difference between the two integrated qualities, T s respectively Td, is achieved by the level of intelligence and wisdom of active entities / conscious actors and the space-time horizon, as considered in the Universe / Multiverse. Sustainability Ts(t,f,c,g) is a integrated cyclical quality of the whole ” o (1) internal environments o (2) real system categories, abiotic, biotic, human, intelligent and wise o (3) external environments o” to self-generate, to exist, to resist and to evolve in self-balancing for an unlimited time, within the value chains / trophic chains from the space-time-resources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} in the Universe / Multiverse. Durability Td(t,f,c,g) is the integrated cyclical quality of the whole ” o (1) internal environments o (2) real system categories, abiotic, biotic, human, intelligent and wise o (3) external environments o” to self-generate, to exist, to resist and to evolve in self-balancing for a very long or long time , within the value chains / trophic chains from the space-time-resources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} in the Universe / Multiverse. The very long or long duration expressed in time units has values specific for the types of real systems, abiotic and / or biotic, human


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under consideration. As in the Nature, always, in any anthropic / artificial space-time-resources-products domain Dstrp(t,f,c,g), under any conditions of internal and external environments, the dynamics of natural systems and of intelligent systems, including crises of any kind, differentiate the competitive systems from the uncompetitive ones, and ultimately reduce / remove / re-use / recover and recycle losers, while increasing competitiveness of survivors and accelerating progress. Anthropogenic / human progress is based on integrative innovation (in resources, processes and products, policies and management, culture of competitiveness and self-governance), on competitive capacity and consistent orientation towards sustainable / durable competitiveness in the (Figure 2) three space-time-resources-products selfincluded sub-domains (Pater & Popa, 2013) p.18. These space-time-resources-products sub-domains of Planet Earth, regularly and law-like traversed by numerous and various types of changes, crisis / innovations, determine total sustainability Ts(t,f,c,g), generally characterized by three integrated sustainabilities: ● natural sustainability Tnat(t,f,c,g), that by means of abiotic and biotic "natural products" can ensure / ensure for an indefinite time in the Universe / Multiverse normal conditions of resources and life of biosphere on planet Earth, in the Solar System / Milky Way galaxy ... .. in other galaxies / Universe / Multiverse; natural sustainability includes successively the social- human Tsum(t,f,c,g) and the civilizational Tciv(t,f,c,g) sustainabilities ; ● social-human sustainability Tsum(t,f,c,g), (demographic, educational, psychological, cultural) that by means of anthropic products called "human communities" can ensure/ ensure for an unlimited time the premises, the normal conditions of existence and evolution of Humanity / Homo Sapiens species in the Universe / Multiverse, strongly correlated with the sustainability of human civilization; ● sustainability of human civilization Tciv(t,f,c,g) (moral, political-administrative, legislative, of security // managerial, ecological, technological, economic) that by means of "products of human communities" can ensure / ensure for an unlimited time normal conditions of human existence and progress of prosperous society in the Universe / Multiverse, in the future including on other planets that provide life with favourable conditions in the form that we know it; sustainability of human civilization is increasingly determined and integrates: ► moral, political-administrative, legislative, of security sustainability Tmpls(t,f,c,g), ► managerial, ecological, technological, economic sustainability Tmete(t,f,c,g). Similarly, for a very long or long term, durability T d(t,f,c,g) is defined as generally characterized by the three integrated durabilities. Durability Td is obviously inferior to sustainability Ts. The very long or long duration expressed in time units, specific for the existence and evolution of the types of real abiotic and / or biotic durable systems, is the consequence of the limited level of their intelligence, wisdom and competitiveness. Real abiotic and / or biotic durable systems become, at a certain time, insufficiently competitive in their space-time-resources-products domain Dstrp(t,f,c,g), cease their autonomous existence, while going through the final stage F(t,g) and thus becoming future new resources in the universal cycles of change (through re-using processes, refurbishment / restructuring, recycling in their external environments). In general, sustainable / durable progress can be achieved in space-time-resources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} in the Universe / Multiverse, only by means of durable products Pid(t,f,c,g) / sustainable Pis(t,f,c,g), durable integrative innovation Iind(t,f,c,g) / sustainable Iins(t,f,c,g) and durable integrative competitiveness Kid(t,f,c,g) / sustainable Kis(t,f,c,g) of systems, due to the preponderance of critical factors (causes) favourable (+) to progress. This implies the existence and action of consciousness, intelligence and superior wisdom, proactive, sustainable. Durable integrative competitiveness Kid(t,f,c,g) / sustainable competitiveness Kis(t,f,c.g) is the ability and capacity of a aware system of systems (SS) to optimize in an integrative - hierarchical manner its internal environments, to win in the coopetition (confrontation and / or cooperation in cycles f & c and g successive-parallel generations) from the network of its external environments, without degrading or depleting them, to achieve simultaneously SS welfare in a long / very long period of time ("durable") / unlimited ("sustainable"), in space-timeresources-products domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} from the Universe / Multiverse. The finality F(t, g) is the last destination of a real system SR(t,f,c,g), consequence of the interaction with other systems from the hierarchy of external Mext(t,f,c,g) and internal Mint(t,f,c,g) environments, in space-time-resourcesproducts domains {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)} from the Universe / Multiverse. Finally, the real system SR completely ceases its functioning and it is recycled in its external environments. The model in Figure 2 provides a detailed segmentation of anthropic environments (artificial), using functional criteria useful in practice. Instead of two anthropic environments (social, economic) / three anthropic environments (social, economic, cultural) there are defined, based on the functional criterion, six anthropic environments which

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determine a general systemic structure of sustainability T s(t,f,c,g) (relation 1). This new model may be in future a base for unification in the extensive, more rigorous definition of sustainability, durability, temporality, ephemerality, resilience, innovation at different hierarchical levels and in the characterizing of various manners to achieve sustainable progress Ps(t,f,c,g): Ts(t,f,c,g) = Tnat(t,f,c,g) & Tsum(t,f,c,g) & Tciv(t,f,c,g) = = Tnat(t,f,c,g) & Tsum(t,f,c,g) & Tmpls(t,f,c,g) & Tmete(t,f,c,g) = = Tnata(t,f,c,g) & Tnatb(t,f,c,g) & & Tdemo(t,f,c,g) & Tpsih(t,f,c,g) & Teduc(t,f,c,g) & Tcult(t,f,c,g) & & Tmora(t,f,c,g) & Tpoad(t,f,c,g) & Tlegi(t,f,c,g) & Tsecu(t,f,c,g) & & Tmana(t,f,c,g) & Tecol(t,f,c,g) & Ttehn(t,f,c,g) & Tecon(t,f,c,g)

(1)

where - the level one components of total sustainability T s(t,f,c,g) are the following: 1.1) Tnat(t,f,c,g) represents natural sustainability [with its components Tnata(t,f,c,g) abiotic and Tnatb(t,f,c,g) biotic], 1.2) Tsum(t,f,c,g) represents social-human sustainability, 1.3) Tciv(t,f,c,g) represents sustainability of human civilization, respectively - the level two components of total sustainability are: 1.3.1) Tmpls(t,c,g) represents moral, political-administrative, legislative, of security sustainability, 1.3.2) Tmete(t,c,g) represents managerial, ecological, technological, economic sustainability (contribution of real economy to total sustainability T), - the level three components of total sustainability are: 1.2.1) Tdemo(t,f,c,g) represents demographic sustainability, 1.2.2) Teduc(t,f,c,g) represents educational sustainability, 1.2.3) Tpsih(t,f,c,g) represents psychological sustainability, 1.2.4) Tcult(t,f,c,g) represents cultural sustainability, 1.3.1.1) Tmora(t,f,c,g) represents moral sustainability, 1.3.1.2) Tpoad(t,f,c,g) represents political-administrative sustainability , 1.3.1.3) Tlegi(t,f,c,g) represents legislative sustainability, 1.3.1.4) Tsecu(t,f,c,g) represents security sustainability, 1.3.2.1) Tmana(t,f,c,g) represents managerial sustainability, 1.3.2.2) Tecol(t,f,c,g) represents ecological sustainability, 1.3.2.3) Ttehn(t,f,c,g) represents technological sustainability, 1.3.2.4) Tecon(t,f,c,g) represents economic sustainability. Similarly, is described the general systemic structure of durability Td(t,f,c,g). By extension, if necessary, there can be defined, in a similar way: Temporality T t(t,f,c,g) on medium term, respectively Ephemerity T e(t,f,c,g) on short / very short term. These two concepts present reduced practical interest. In determining sustainability and durability of real systems SR(t,f,c,g), the important factors are resilience V(t,f,c,g), competitive capacity CK(t,f,c,g), integrative innovation Iin(t,f,c,g) and medium longevity Lmed(t,f,c) as medium duration of life cycle of real systems specimens considered within a g generation. Resilience V(t,f,c,g) is systemically defined, in general as: x ”Resilience is the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and re-organize while undergoing change so as to still retain essentially the same function, structure, identity and feedback” (Walker & Salt, 2008) x ”Adaptive resilience is the capacity of a system to remain productive and true to core purpose and identity whilst absorbing disturbance and adapting with integrity in response to changing circumstances” (Robinson, 2010) p.14 As sustainability Ts(t,f,c,g) and durability Td(t,f,c,g) are integrated cyclic qualities of the whole ” o internal environments Mint o real system categories SR o external environments Mext o”, two categories of resilience are to be differentiated: -internal resilience Vint(t,f,c,g), of the internal environment of the real system considered, which absorbs, in a limited manner, perturbations, shocks / aggressions Aext(t,f,c,g) coming from the environment outside the system S R(t,f,c,g),

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- external resilience Vext(t,f,c,g), of the proximate external environment of the real system considered, which absorbs, in a limited manner, noises, shocks coming from the categories of real systems S R(t,f,c,g), from the products Pi(t,f,c,g), from the wastes Di(t,f,c,g) and the aggressions Di(t,f,c,g) realized by them and by the hierarchical external environments. Real systems SR and considered durations of existence

Ts sustainability

Systemic defined concepts Td durability Tt temporality Te ephemerality

Real system category SR(t,f,c,g)

►

►

►

►

x

Ephemeral duration

xx

Temporary duration

xxx

Long / very long duration Unlimited duration

L longevity

►

Real system exemplar SR(t,f,c)

x xx xxx

xxx ..... Fig. 3 A systemic characterisation of sustainability, durability, longevity t – time; {f} – functional cycles; {c}– behavioural cycles; {g} generational cycles

Competitive capacity CK(t,f,c,g) of real system SR(t,f,c,g) is defined by the quantities of products Pi(t,f,c,g) within quality / resource consumption ratio imposed or required by the external environment Mext(t,f,c,g), that can be produced and transferred efficiently by the system over a Δt period of time. Competitive capacity is a priority factor of competitiveness K(t,f,c,g) of the system under consideration, while distinguishing: sustainable competitive ability CKs(t,f,c,g) on unlimited time and durable competitive capacity C Kd(t,f,c,g) on very long / long term. In general, innovation I(t,f,c,g) is the continued (t) and regular (f,c,g) application of the various novelties Ns(t,f,c,g) generated, required, accepted, or naturally or artificially selected (anthropogenic) and applied in the spacetime-resources-products domain {Dstrp(t,f,c,g)}. Integrative innovation Iin(t,f,c,g) is the synergistic application in innovative clusters (inoclusters)from space-time-resources domains Dstrp(t,f,c,g) of the Universe / Multiverse of novelties Ns(t,f,c,g) generated, required, appropriate, accepted and selected naturally or artificially (anthropogenic) at all hierarchical levels micro, mezzo, macro, for all environments, resources and products, having as effect the contribution to the realization and / or determination of progress. One can differentiate sustainable integrative innovation Iins(t,f,c,g) on unlimited term and durable integrative innovation Iins(t,f,c,g) on very long and long term. Sustainable integrative innovation Iins(t,f,c,g) differs from the permanent change (progress, stagnation, regression) in the Universe / Multiverse by: - evolution of integrative innovation Iins(t,f,c,g) within sustainable innovative clusters, - promoting and implementing sustainable progress P s(t,f,c,g), unlimited in the space-timeresources-products domain networks. The systemic definitions of concepts previously developed allow highlighting, in the order of intervention, the general determinants of the sustainability of real systems S R(t,f,c,g) in any space-time-resources-products domain / domain networks Dstrp(t,f,c,g), in the practice of the 21st century: T(t,f,c,g) = f(Ri, Aext, CK, Vint, Iin, Pi, Di, Ai, Vext, K, st, f, c, g)

(2)

where: Ri represents the resources available in the external environments of real systems, inevitably limited resources within a space-time resources-products domain considered, and, at the same time, resources partially controllable by intelligent real systems, Aext represents the perturbations, shocks / aggressions (outside the regular stability limits), coming from environments outside the system, which internal environments of respective real systems are facing with, CK represents the competitive capabilities of real systems considered within a time-spaceresources-products domain and of time-spaceresources-products domain networks, Vint represents the internal resiliencies internal (of internal environments) of real systems considered, that provide

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limited absorption of disturbances, shocks / aggressions coming from environments outside the systems, Iin represents integrative innovations of real systems considered, capable to strengthen internal and external resiliencies cyclically, competitive capacity and competitiveness of real systems, Pi represents the products made by real systems considered and used / consumed in a time-spaceresources-products domain and of time-spaceresources-products domain networks, Di represents the wastes made by real systems considered, possibly to reduce, reused, refurbished, recycled in a space-time-resources-products domain and of time-space-resources-products domain networks, Ai represents the disturbances, shocks / aggressions (outside the regular stability limits), derived from the categories of real systems SR(t,f,c,g), from the products Pi(t,f,c,g), from the wastes Di(t,f,c,g) and from the aggressions Ai(t,f,c,g) produced by these and by the external hierarchical environments considered, Vext represents the external resiliencies, of external media of real systems considered, that provide limited absorption of disturbances, shocks / aggressions derived from real systems considered, from products and wastes made by these, from external hierarchical environments considered, K is the competitiveness of real systems in a time-space-resources-products domain considered and of time-spaceresources-products domain networks, st is the space-time general, f, c, g represent the functional cycles {f}, behavioural cycles {c}and generations{g} related to real systems within a space-time-resources-products domain considered. Longevity Li of a real system SR(t,f,c) is the life duration (existence, functioning and behaviour) of a i-type specimen from the system category SR(t,f,c,g), achieved in coopetition (cooperation & competition) from its external environments Mext. Average longevity Lmed(t,f,c) / life expectancy is the average duration of the life cycle of specimens i = 1,2, ...., n of real systems considered within a g generation, externally producible or reproducible. Longevity is a sub-factor of influence of CK competitive capacity and thus, indirectly, influences sustainability T (relation 2). Systemic characterization of the concepts sustainability, durability, temporality, transience and longevity is summarized in Figure 3. Based on the definition of these concepts, concepts of "virtuous" nature (+): progress, resilience, robustness, stability, durability, innovation, competitiveness, can be rigorously characterized. 5. Conclusions Major challenges for Humanity in the 21st century (sustainable progress and radicalization) require advanced, consistent systemic approaches, in order to know and master in practice the complexity specific to future centuries and millennia. The paper analyzed critically, from a multi-criteria perspective, the known definitions of sustainability and durability. On the basis of some new and original morphological models, the following have been achieved: - defining in a systemic manner the interrelated concepts of progress P, sustainability T s, durability Td, temporality Tt, ephemerality Te, resilience V, integrative innovation Iin, competitiveness K, longevity L, - highlighting the determinants of sustainability Ts / durability Td, in the practice of the 21st century. The paper was limited to defining and characterizing principles of concepts. The concepts defined create the premises for a future practical quantization, rigorous characterization of concepts of “virtuous" nature (+): progress, resilience, robustness, stability, durability, innovation, competitiveness and for a thorough modelling of sustainable progress cycles, by means of system dynamics methods. References Bergh, J.C., & Hofkes, M.W. (2012). Theory and Implementation of Economic Models for Sustainable Development. New York: Springer. Capra, F., & Luisi, P.L. (2014). The Systems View of Life. A Unifying Vision. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Caradonna, J. (2014). Sustainability: A History. Oxford UK: Oxford University Press. Carr, B. et al. (2009). Universe or Multiverse?. London: Cambridge University Press. Chambers (2008). The Chambers Dictionary. 11th Edition, Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers. Connelly, S. (2007). Mapping Sustainable Development as Contested Concept, Local Environment. Vol. 12, No.3, pp. 259-278. Costanza R., & Patten B.C. (1995). Defining and predicting sustainability, Ecological Economics, Volume 15, pp.993-996. Deutsch, D. (2012). The Beginning of Infinity: Explanation that Transform the World. New York: Penguin.

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