TELEONICS
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3512 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
- “A systems approach … which focuses primarily on the processes that characterize living systems, rather than on the levels and subsystems of which they consist”.
This approach, developed by G.G. JAROS, attenuates the dichotomy between levels and the whole in systems. It seems more concerned with vertical unity than with horizontal strata.
According to JAROS: “In Teleonics, one does not speak of interaction between entities, but interaction between processes. By definition, processes have some kind of goal, end point or destination, which may or may not be intentionally determined. We refer to this ”go-for-it“ quality as goal-relatedness, which can include goal-seeking as well as goal-directed behavior” (Contribution to the “Primer Handbook”, work in progress, 1996)(Th. MANDEL)
It is in any case difficult to conceive processes that would not be proper to some entity, or entities without processes. However, the concept of process conveys better the understanding of a time dimension in systems.
It should be observed that N.A. COULTER Jr., himself inspired by J.E. GIBSON's “hierarchy of automatic control” proposed in 1968 a “theory of teleogenetic control systems” based on control systems able “to generate their own goals” and “exhibiting ”goal seeking behavior… as a special mode of operation“ (1968, p.85).