INTEGRATION vs ISOLATION
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1731 ▶ |
| Object type | General information |
More than contradictory or incompatible, integration and isolation seem somehow complementary forces.
J.T. BONNER writes: “It is an interesting paradox that at all levels of complexity there seem to be forces which bring components together, as in integration of cells into individual organisms, or gatherings of organisms into social groups; but at the same time there are other forces which work in the opposite direction and cause those individual organisms or those social groups to be isolated from one another. Curiously, the forces which seem to be working in opposite directions producing integration and isolation are the same; they are forces of natural selection” (1988, p.229).
In order to be able to establish well defined interconnections, based on reciprocal constraints, the components of any system must be separated from each others, but not to the point that relationships could never become established. BONNER describes the different biological and ethological mechanisms which allow for these antithetic processes. For a good example, see “Dictyosteliun discoideum”.