George North (numismatist) of by William Herbert. North drew up sale catalogues for the coin collections of the Earl of Oxford (1742) and of Richard Mead (1755); he also catalogued, in 1744, James West's series of Saxon coins and Ducarel's English coins. A paper on Arabic numerals in England, written by North in 1748, was published by Richard Gough in "Archæologia" (x. 360). George North (numismatist) George North (1707–1772) was an English cleric and numismatist. The son of George North, citizen and pewterer, who resided in or near Aldersgate Street in London, he was educated at St Paul's School. In 1725 he entered
The purpose of a system is what it does The purpose of a system is what it does The purpose of a system is what it does (POSIWID) is a systems thinking heuristic coined by Stafford Beer. Stafford Beer coined the term POSIWID and used it many times in public addresses. In his address to the University of Valladolid, Spain, in October 2001, he said "According to the cybernetician, the purpose of a system is what it does. This is a basic dictum. It stands for bald fact, which makes a better starting point in seeking understanding than the familiar attributions of good intention, prejudices about expectations, moral judgment,