In this discussion of free will, philosophy, and the background and future of system dynamics, there may be an interest in an early plea for the kind of analysis that system dynamics can do. Leo Tolstoy in "War and Peace" published in 1869 presents a strong rationale for system dynamics in preludes and postludes to the actual chapters in the story. (These are not found in abridged editions). I have selected some of these in the attached scanned page from before when documents were in electronic form.