BOOLEAN NETWORK
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 318 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “A system of binary variables, each with two possible states of activity (on and off), coupled to one another such that the activity of each element is governed by the prior activity of some elements according to a Boolean switching function” (St. KAUFFMAN, 1993, p.182).
St. KAUFFMAN writes: “In a Boolean network, each variable is regulated by others that serve as inputs. The dynamic behavior of each variable — that is, whether it will be on or off at the next moment — is governed by a logical switching rule called a Boolean function” (see above) “The function specifies the activity of a variable in response to all possible combinations of activities in the input variables… One can calculate how many Boolean functions could conceivably apply to any binary element in a network. If a binary element has K inputs, then there are 2K possible combinations of inputs it could receive. For each combination, either an active or inactive result must be specified. Therefore, there are 2 to the 2K power possible Boolean switching rules for that element” (1991, p.67)
Many, if not all social interrelations in the most general sense seem to be amenable to network modelling in the Boolean sense as for example: neural nets in the brain, nets in connection machines, social interactions in groups and, possibly in the future networks of robots (see for example R. BROOKS, 1991)