MAXIMUM POWER PRINCIPLE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 2034 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “Systems which use energy best, survive” (H.& E. ODUM, 1976, p.39).
As enounced under this form in 1976 by H. and E. ODUM, this principle is different from LOTKA's one and seems somewhat over-simplified.
LOTKA seems to refer himself to complex ecosystems (The “world engine” being the most global one), but not to separated individual species.
H. ODUM himself recognized in 1983 that: “According to LOTKA's maximum power principle, systems tend to develop designs that maximize power and thus may be expected to develop loadings less than efficient” (1983, p.116, quoted by R.N. ADAMS). This author observes: “There is nothing in LOTKA's principle that implies that systems ”tend to develop … maximum power“. Indeed, LOTKA asserts that whether higher energy-using forms emerge is ”determined by other principles“ (ADAMS, 1988, p.38-39).
See also
Saint Matthew's Principle