INFOLDING
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1649 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
The emergence of a new level of complexity within a system undergoing a process of dissipative structuration.
This term has been proposed by C. JOSLYN, who writes: “We usually think about emergent phenomena as entering at the ”pinnacle“ of some evolutionary hierarchy. In contrast, we regard this kind of emergence not as adding a layer on top of a hierarchy, but rather as a ”deepening' of “infolding” of an existent hierarchy. The new level is added between what was previously (and still is) the bottom and the top levels“ (1991, p.639).
For example, the emergence of a highly developped neo-cortex in the human brain is a result of internal differentiation of an existing structure. This example however seems to indicate that such an “infolding” may lead in some cases to the emergence of a new and higher level of complexity in a different sense: numerous individuals endowed with these evolved brains are able to create social organization on a new innovative level.