CIRCUITS (Degenerative -- Regenerative)
Charles François (2004). CIRCUITS (Degenerative -- Regenerative), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 442.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 442 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
A circuit may be either degenerative or regenerative, according to the type of feedback it includes.
A regenerative circuit, i. e. one including a positive feedback (as stated by G. BATESON): “… (will) if provided with the necessary energy sources and if external factors permit,… clearly operate at a greater and greater rate of intensity” (1973, p.81).
Such a process may of course put it on a self-destructive path if no negative feedback intervenes in due time.
On the contrary, a negative feedback, if not timely compensated by a positive one, will progressively dampen the system's fluctuations and may well finally block it.