FIELDS (Interactions between)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1273 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
F. ROBB writes: “In general any nonequilibrium distribution of matter/energy can be described as a flow field embedded in a larger flow field with which it interacts. Where the two fields interact and the field forces are mild, no new properties emerge and the processes tend to homogeneous equilibrium. Where the field forces are strong, when the gradient is steep relative to the diffusion potential of the uncorrelated interactions of the components at the interface, then, subject to the constraints in the field, emergent evolutionary behavior is observed” (1990, p.390-91).
He adds, quoting R. SWENSON: “… in coherent fields, the emergence of structure is the most probable, indeed the inexorable, outcome of change in time. Structure building is the preferred route to equilibrium in what SWENSON calls an ”incommensurable“ universe. It is preferred because it is the fastest, the most efficient, way to maximize entropy production” (Ibid).
The connexion with PRIGOGINE's thermodynamics of open systems faraway from equilibrium is obvious.
Very similiar ideas were also exposed under the guise of a theory of vortexes (or whirlpools) by the French engineer Ch. LAVILLE as early as 1950.