REGULATOR PARADOX (The)
Charles François (2004). REGULATOR PARADOX (The), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 2810.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2810 ▶ |
| Object type | Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
Regulators need necessarily be able to perceive errors. Out of this condition, a paradox does arise, stated in the following terms by B. PORTER: “If the regulator were totally successful, the error would exhibit no variety, the regulator would accordingly receive no information about the external disturbances acting upon the plant, and successful regulation would thus be impossible” (1976, p.228)
This could however imply a logical fallacy, as disturbances could obviously produce a variety of errors, and thus waken the regulator.