EIGEN-VALUES
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1043 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The series of self-produced repeated and stable values that result of recursive operations in a organizationally closed system.
H.von FOERSTER, who introduced this partly German term, states: “… Eigen-values are discrete (even if the domain of the primary argument obs$_{0}$ is continuous)…
- “… Eigen-values represent equilibria, and depending upon the chosen domain of the primary argument, these equilibria may be equilibrial values (”fixed points“), functional equilibria, operational equilibria, structural equilibria, etc.
- “… Eigen-values, because of their self-defining (or self-generative) nature imply topological ”closure“ (”circularity“)” (1976, p.93).
Also in von FOERSTER's words: Eigen values are “equilibria that determine themselves through circular processes ”(1981, p. 280). In a sense they are attractors .
As a result, any observer's view of reality is always self-constructed. In von FOERSTER's words: “Ontologically, Eigen-values and objects, and likewise, ontogenetically, stable behavior and the manifestations of a subject's ”grasp“ cannot be distinguished. In both cases ”objects“ appear to reside exclusively in the subject's own experience of his sensory-motor coordinations” (p.94).
Some measure of “objectivity” can be attained only through comparison by two or more observers of their respective sensory-motor coordinations, which may lead to a consensus. Such consensus is always liable to be revised, which gives a supplementary foundation to POPPER's falseability of theories and KUHN's paradigm shifts.