GRAND ENSEMBLE
Charles François (2004). GRAND ENSEMBLE, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 1460.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1460 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
A totally interconnected network.
St. KAUFFMAN, who introduces this type of networks, writes: “Since each element receives an input from all other elements, there is only one possible wiring diagram… this ensemble corresponds to the largest possible ensemble of Boolean networks of Nvariables” (1993, p.192).
He also states: “The Grand Ensemble is maximally disordered” (p.472), and, as a result, its behavior is chaotic (Ibid).
It is interesting to observe that a type of maximal disorder corresponds to the maximum number of constraints in what ASHBY calls “richly joined systems”. The most useful or creative systems are thus those that are moderately constrained, admitting sufficient leeway for adaptations.