Introduction to Jan C. Willems’, “Dissipative Dynamical Systems, Part I: General Theory”: 50 Years of Dissipativity Theory

The introduction to this article could be very simple; read it yourself! Indeed, the article is clearly written and basically self-contained. After so many years, it still provides stimulating reading, not only from a historical, but also a contemporary research point of view. Thus, the aim of this introduction is to let the article speak for itself, while providing some extra context for its origins and pointers to later developments. This special issue is devoted to Part I of the article, leaving the introduction to Part II to the next special issue (see “The Articles of This Special Issue”).