“Lastly, I would address one general admonition to all – that they consider what are the true ends of knowledge, and that they seek it not either for pleasure of the mind, or for contention, or for superiority to others, or for profit, or fame, or power, or any of these inferior things, but for the benefit and use of life…”  Sir Francis Bacon, 1561-1626

 

The Influnece of C I Lewis on Shewhart and Deming G T PETERSON, EXCELSIS BUSINESS ADVISERS
OCTOBER 1998

• In their writings, both Shewhart and Deming quote the work of the philosopher C I Lewis.
  Statisticians or management advisers do not normally refer to philosophers. So what was it in C I
  Lewis that attracted Shewhart and Deming, and how can we see its influence in their teachings?
  This paper picks out the main themes in Lewis’s best-known book, Mind and the World Order1
  , and demonstrates how these themes relate to the core teachings of Shewhart and Deming. However, this should not be taken to imply that Shewhart or Deming based their ideas on this philosophy; rather it should be taken that they saw parallels in Mind and the World Order that enabled them to put their ideas in a rational, philosophical context.
  • The Deming Institute: The Influence of C. I. Lewis on Walter Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming

Mind and the World-Order, by C.I. Lewis

THE PHILOSOPHY OF SHEWHART’S THEORY OF PREDICTION
Dr Mark Wilcox. Centre for Business Performance; Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom. MK430AL

• Shewhart’s control charts are a feature of statistical process control and linked to systems thinking. A system is a set of interconnected parts (processes) with a common purpose. A systemic view of the universe suggests that nothing ever ‘is’ (e.g. substance or static), but always in a state of ‘becoming’ (e.g. in flux). In this paper, I show how control charts are a semiotic device illustrating ‘being,’ ‘becoming’ and ‘prediction’. Articulating his work, Shewhart developed a discourse of flux as a means of describing the universe in motion.
  • “Semiotics” – The theory and study of signs and symbols, especially as elements of language or other systems of communication, and comprising semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics.

Recapturing the Spirit of Quality, Christina Mauléon
Department of Quality Sciences CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
Göteborg, Sweden (2003)

• It is well known that Walter A. Shewhart and W. Edwards Deming are seen as
  two of the founders of the modern quality movement. In this thesis, a review
  of their writings has been done, in order to reinvestigate the philosophical
  influences in their work.

Walter Shewhart ASQC 1967 – Articles highlighting his work and accomplishments.

Quality and Spirituality – by Tim J. Clark