SYSTEM (State-determined)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3408 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
A system whose path is uniquely determined, regardless of how the system arrived at the given initial state (After HALL & FAGEN, 1956, p.25).
W.R. ASHBY thus explains the concept: “The field of a state-determined system has a characteristic property: through no point does more than one line of behavior run” (1960, p.27).
Or, “A finite set of variables for which, at any instant, the state transition is completely determined by the present state” (Ibid).
In other words, in a state-determined system, there are no bifurcations because there does not exist any indetermination in any line of behavior: the system is wholly deterministic.
ASHBY observes that: “Because of its importance, science searches persistently for the state-determined” (Ibid, p.28).
He could have added that contemporary science, after running into many dead ends, is starting in earnst to research non absolutely deterministic systems, whether non-linear, far-from-equilibrium, or chaotic. See for example R. ROSEN's paper on “The Physics of Complexity” (1991 c, p.493- 500).