BRAIN and ENVIRONMENT
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 328 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
… or the macrocosm within the microcosm.
According to V.I. KREMYANSKIY: “The brain first developed mainly as an organ of internal interconnexion, and then primarily as an organ of interconnexion with the environment” (1969, 125-46).
In fact, it seems probable that both developments have been simultaneous and complementary all along evolution, by a kind of alternating process of reinforcement, in relation to ASHBY's Law of Requisite Variety.
KREMYANSKIY adds:“This augmented the dependence of the organism on far more distant and complex events in the environment (with the development of the organs of perception and systems of receptors) (p.141).
Man has been speeding up this movement during the last centuries, with the emergence of more numerous and complex artificial means of perception and interpretation.
However, admitting that the enhanced presence of the environment under the guise of representations within the brain increases dependence it also increases the capacity to handle it, which of course brings forth new hazards.