RECONSTRUCTION FAMILY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2756 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “A class of overall systems that are implied by the information in the given subsystem” (1986, p.268).
Klir states: “The size of the class… reflects the inadequacy of the subsystem representation of the overall system. The true overall system is always a member of the reconstruction family, but the subsystem information is not sufficient (except for special cases) to identify it uniquely. Hence, inferences one can make about the overall system from given subsystems are inherently imprecise.
- “The determination of the reconstruction family is basically a matter of formulating and solving appropriate algebraic equations. These equations characterize, within the mathematical formalism employed, the rules of projecting the unknown overall system (e.g. overall state, or state probability) to the corresponding entities of the given subsystems. In addition, the equations are always constrained'' by the requirememnts of the mathematical apparatus employed” (p.269).
In other words, no formalism is neutral, nor is the decision to use it.
KLIR adds: “When the reconstruction family constrains only one system, the identification of the overall system is perfect. In these cases, which are rather rare, the ampliative reasoning becomes deductive reasoning. It may also happen, of course, that the reconstruction family is empty. This means that the given structure system is inconsistent” (p.269).