DESTRUCTURATION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 883 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
The loss of internal order in a system.
This is sometimes an intermediate phase in the existence of the system, preceeding a fundamental reorganization or a jump toward a higher level of organization. Its seems that the elements need at some moment be freed from their former links in order to re-arrange themselves into a new structure.
The cause and reasons of this phenomenon have not yet been seriously explored.
A good example is moulting in insects. Another could (hypothetically) be revolutions in human societies.
Still another example is J. SCHUMPETER's “Creative destruction ” (1954, p.161). According to this Austrian economist, every important economic evolution generated by technical progress starts inevitably with the destruction of a number of old structures - trades, businesses, rules - not anymore adapted to the new conditions. This leads to a restructuration, generally much more varied and complex, with new trades, new products and wider and more inclusive rules , which allow for further economic progress .
E. KAHLER (1968) describes the same process in the 20th. Century arts, at least in terms of general desintegration of form . Remains to be seen if a restructuration will take place in the future.