DESCRIPTION (External System's)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 862 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics, Methodology or model |
R. ROSEN distinguishes two kinds of system descriptions: external and internal (see hereafter).
According to him, the external description is the “black-box” description. He states: “In this situation we make no attempt to identify a set of variables for the system. Rather we have at our disposal a family of perturbations which we can apply to the system, variously called forcings, or inputs, and one or more observables which we use to index the effect of applying a particular forcing or input to the system. Such system observables are generally called system outputs or responses” (1972, p.51).
This kind of description allows for a better understanding of the relevant environment of the system and its impacts on the same, but does not easily enlightens the autopoietic characteristics of the same.