EQUILIBRATION THEORY
Charles François (2004). EQUILIBRATION THEORY, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1142.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1142 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics, Methodology or model |
This theory, elaborated by J. PIAGET (1975) is at the same time a biological, a psychological and a conceptual one. E.von GLASERSFELD writes: “For PIAGET, knowledge is adaptive insofar as it enables us to control experience and to maintain our equilibrium . I hasten to add that ”equilibrium“ is a multilevel concept that covers survival on the physical/biological level as well as coherence and non-contradictions in the conceptual sphere.
- “This is one of the points where, I think, Humberto MATURANA and PIAGET are in agreement. MATURANA speaks of ”effective action“- and it is easy to translate ”effective action “ into PIAGET's terms as any action that maintains or restores the actor's equilibrium”(1992, p. 24)
von Glasersfeld makes also a connection with B. POWERS' theory of control of perception (1973). Any move to counteract what Powers calls an “error signal ” is indeed always a move towards equilibrium (Ibid)