SAINT MATTHEW PRINCIPLE (MARGALEF)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2913 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences, Methodology or model |
- “For whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he has” (Matt. 13.12)
(Also known as Saint Mark Principle, 4.25)
This New Testament quote, remembereded by R. MARGALEF, has been translated by him in terms of an ecological principle as follows: “When two systems interact, information increases relatively more in that one which is already more complex, as it seems to feed from the more simple and may assimilate it” (1980, p.28).
Or “The system bigger in terms of acquired information is always able to make better use of information; that is to say to assimilate and multiply it” (p.27).
MARGALEF considers this principle as “… extraordinarily valuable in ecology as well as in General Theory of Systems. It could contribute to sharpen the gradients of any property that may be interpreted as an information carrier” (Ibid).
Indeed, the principle accounts for the progressive evolutive build-up of more complex systems, by integration of simpler ones: Industrial take-over and absorption of archaic tribes by bigger human groups are examples.
See also
SIMON's Hora and Tempus Parable.