VARIETY and ENTROPY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3728 ▶ |
| Object type | General information |
J.L.LE MOIGNE established the noteworthy following relation between variety and entropy: “The variety V of a system is in bi-univocal correspondence with its entropy E. As entropy grows more and more, variety decreases steadily”.
One could state a quite similar idea by saying that entropization leads the system from (organized) heterogeneity to (inorganized) homogeneity.
It should however be observed that this is strictly true only for the systems that remain close to the steady state, or for the absolutely theoretic and abstract model of the isolated system.
On the contrary, systems faraway from the steady state, may emerge toward a higher degree of organization, if they undergo giant fluctuations. In this case dissipative structures may appear and lead to a growing entropy production.
However, the bi-univocal relation pointed out by LE MOIGNE reappears when the new system reaches at its own level a new steady state.