TELEOLOGICAL EQUATIONS
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3508 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
Equations in which “changes” in the system are expressed not in terms of actual conditions, but primarily in terms of the distance between the present state of the system and its final state“ (I. BLAUBERG et al., 1977, p.51).
BLAUBERG et al. explain: “In other words, the systems under study are described in such a way as to make it appear that the actual changes depend upon a final state to be attained later” (According to L.von BERTALANFFY, 1971, p.75-80; 139-141).
To establish such equations for any complex system seems to be a very tall order.
Obviously any final state is necessarily hypothetical in some sense, as well as the precise moment in which it will be reached. It can be stated only within the limits of the supposed or postulated goal of the system, when this goal can be understood from some characteristics of the system.
A global aphorism like STAFFORD BEER's “Death is equifinal”, leaves us still quite far from a set of teleological equations that should predict the future transformations of a concrete living system.