METAPATTERN: a pattern of patterns
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 2100 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
The concept has been introduced by G. BATESON (1979). In each of the differentlevels of complexity of a system, some pattern can be distinguished for thedescription of the ways the elements at that level interconnect and interact.
As observed by BATESON, no order of interaction among elements can be totally independent from its context , be it co-systems, or higher or lower levels within the system, or some features external to the system as a whole .
This dependence , or interdependence implies the existence of higher (or lower) patterns of interactions which are in some way related to the pattern originally considered.
These relationships between different patterns can be named metapatterns
As expressed by BATESON “without context, there is no meaning ”. This is why a supposedly “isolated system ”is a purely abstract notion, as it cannot have any exchange of matter, energy or information . This situation condemns it moreover to internal entropic annihilation
For another angle of view, metapatterns have a dynamical character and are frequently recurrent. This is as obvious in history as in music, for instance (A. GOPPOLD, 2000, p. 110-11)