Ritual and Systems Thinking

José-Rodrigo Córdoba-Pachón (Bsc, Ma, PhD, FHEA) is an associate professor in Technology and Information Management at Royal Holloway, University of London. He has been researching in applied systems thinking for over 20 years and has published numerous articles and books on systems thinking, information systems, creativity, and sustainability. He is passionate about teaching systems thinking, walking, drinking coffee, drawing, cycling, and dancing. He still tries to make sense of life in two continents.

• Chapter 1 - Introduction Chapter 2: Engineered Presence Chapter 3: Pursuit(s) of identitiesChapter 4 - A systems map of ritual knowledge Chapter 5 - Creativity and the Future Chapter 6 Ritual Memories, Drawings and Groundings Chapter 7 Rituals and Applied systems thinking (AST) Chapter 8 Summary and Final Reflection

“Systems thinking has been put to the test in the convergence of a quasi-catastrophic episode of everyday life (the COVID pandemic). This leads the author to explore, through his own doubts and weaknesses but also questions and answers, the meaning of life as a response based on coexistence understood as the act of recognizing the other as a legitimate other in coexistence and from there, enriching the possibility of creative thinking. From a critical review of ritual, the author leads us to critically explore rituals as spaces of co-existence, which is perhaps the propitious space for the exercise of critical systemic thinking in its most authentic sense. A work which reveals a deep systemic vocation.” — Professor Alejandro Ochoa-Arias, PhD, Universidad Austral de Chile, sede Puerto Montt"Rituals and Systems Thinking explores the significance of rituals. It blends personal stories, systems thinking, and societal insights. Dr. Córdoba- Pachón assesses comprehensively how rituals could transform our lives in a post-pandemic, tech-driven world, emphasizing a more meaningful existence. This book deserves slow reading.” — Professor Teresa Torres-Coronas, PhD, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Spain