SYSTEM (META-) TRANSITION

Charles François (2004). SYSTEM (META-) TRANSITION, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3378.

Collection	International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics
Year	2004
Vol. (num.)	2(2)
ID	◀ 3378 ▶
Object type	Methodology or model

Transition toward a higher level

of

control

in a system.

Such a process

may take place when the existing cognitive

subsystem

is no longer able to cope with a growing

complexity , which happens “…if the variety

of possible actions is larger than (its) capacity for

control .”(F. HEYLIGHEN, 1991).

Through this kind of complexity emergence

“… a number of

control

systems are integrated into a single

whole

with the formation of a global

control

system” (Ibid).

HEYLIGHEN adds: “…the emergence

of

control

leads to an increase of

variety , whereas the increase of variety , if it is large enough, stimulates the emergence

of a new

control

in a

positive feedback cycle ” (Ibid).

In this way a hierarchy

of

controls

builds progressively up. Furthermore: “… once the

control

at the higher or meta-

level

has emerged, the number of

subsystems

it controls will in general increase. V. TURCHIN calls this

phenomenon the branching growth of the penultimate level ” (Ibid).

See also