NETWORK and PARTS
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2259 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences, Methodology or model |
No part in a network is able to understand fully the network. This is the case for everyone of us, as an element of social networks of different kinds. We may only form working hypothesis about any network of which we are part.
Networks acquire emergent properties. H.T. ODUM writes: “The network of society has a form of thinking since it is a computer network in itself, quite over and above those it encompasses — the electronic computers of industry and the even more remarkable computer, the mind of man” (1971, p.245).
The metaphor could be somewhat overstretched, but in due time it may prove correct… and is in any case suggestive.
H.T. ODUM adds: “The network is doing things to keep itself regulated, adapted, and consistent with energetic laws that the individual cannot envision” (p.245).