DETECTION (Delayed
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 884 ▶ |
| Object type | Human sciences, Epistemology, ontology or semantics, Methodology or model |
In many systems submitted to study by observers , some effects are not, or only very lately, registered.
The causes may be of different orders:
- the effects are small and only accumulate in the long term , thus escaping the gaze of the circumstancial or casual observer
- the effects are of a new type and the observer lacks the mental reference frame for their understanding , or even their perception
- the effects are still potential, as possible consequences of other events ignored, misunderstood or considered irrelevant by the observer. This is particularly true for new technologies or faraway events .
These various factors produce some common results. The observer is taken by surprise and frequently quite unprepared to react efficiently. Such a situation may be very damaging for the observer and/or for the system itself.
However, as noted by K. MATSUNO, when various effects of different nature are acting simultaneously in a system and, in cases, out of the phase , a global possibility for adaptation , or even evolution , becomes stimulated (1998). In such a situation, early detection is even more important.
See also
Time horizon, Time lag