EQUILIBRIUM (Homeostatic)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1149 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
A dynamic equilibrium, characterized by oscillations within more or less narrowly defined maxima and minima limits.
K. BOULDING described it as follows: “Equilibrium is simply a dynamic process in which the dynamic path of the system leads to a reproduction in successive states of some initial equilibrium state. ”Staying the same“ is simply a special case of ”changing“ (1972, p.68).
Homeostatic equilibrium does not allow for basic structural or functional changes in the system, i.e. is never evolutive, even if it is adaptive. It remains in basic accordance with the laws of classical thermodynamics.
L.von BERTALANFFY made the following comment: “If life, after disturbance from the outside, had simply returned to the so-called homeostatic equilibrium, it would never have progressed beyond the amoeba which, after all, is the best adapted creature in the world — it has survived billions of years from the primeval ocean to the present day. MICHELANGELO, implementing the precepts of psychology, should have followed his father's request and gone in the wool's trade, thus sparing himself lifelong anguish although leaving the Sistine Chapel unadorned” (1971, p.192).