REGULATION (Emergent)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2804 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
A regulation at a higher level of complexity resulting of the coalescence of damping devices.
G. NICOLIS and I. PRIGOGINE have shown “that the evolution of a fluctuation depends on the competition between growth and damping through diffusion or, more generally, through surface effects” (1977, p.462).
If a runaway fluctuation gets totally out of control, it will destroy the system. While this sometimes happens, damping through new types of limitative interactions generally appears. It tends to become a permanent effect, through repetitive sequences and thus becomes a new regulation at a higher level.
This process is clearly the root of higher level regulation in societies in formation process (animal or human). It is related, for example, to pheromones in anthills or beehives, and to values and legal devices in human societies.