SCALE (Large and small): their relationship
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 2925 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
Large and small scale phenomena and systems are interrelated structurally (in space) and functionally (in time).
Their structural relations are obvious, as J. MILLER, for instance, has shown in “Living Systems” (1978): Societies are made from individuals, individuals from cells and cells from molecules and atoms.
Functionally, short term phenomena remain within the frame of long term ones: the waves within the tide and the tides within the geological variations of seas level. (an example that can be also used as a metaphor).
Any linear extrapolation from small scale variations into long term is probably illusory and this explains, for example, many costly planning errors.
In most cases, a comprehensive study of embedded short, medium and long term movements (and, if more or less regular, of cycles) may give important leads for a more realist understanding of ongoing transformations.
See also
Cycle