CONTROL (Intrinsic)
Charles François (2004). CONTROL (Intrinsic), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 687.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 687 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Methodology or model |
- “Self-regulation as distinguished from mere regulation” (St. BEER, 1968, p.262).
C. FRANÇOIS observes that we should find out how the system is naturally regulated before trying to control it… and this leads us to quite a tricky problem: we must evaluate how our controls would eventually impinge on the natural regulators (1978, p.4).
BEER observes that natural systems have “implicit controls” (p. 299) and error controlled negative feedback: “equilibrium is restored in the act to be lost” (p.353).
This is also the reason why in so many cases, authoritarian plans do not work in the long run and why human control frequently plays havoc with many natural systems, as for example with endemic malaria, agricultural pests, or so called “developing” countries economics and social systems.