BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

CYCLE (Life) 1)2)

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K. BOULDING states: "It is evident from the study of organizations of all kinds that they exhibit periods of growth, of relative stability and of decay" (1952, p.39).

This characteristic seems to be very general and affects practically any complex system, be it physical, biological, ecological, economic or social. Its deepest causes are still quite obscure, but are probably related to the 2nd Principle of thermodynamics. Since any system, to organize itself, must separate from its environment, it thus acquires a limited and precisely defined level of organization. This level is created by way of a basic template, also limited, and thus progressively reaching saturation, i.e. unable to maintain a sufficient adaptability (which should be carefully distinguished from the antinomic adaptation, which is a stabilized and limited collection of possible states).

A typology of life cycles patterns can be helpful in the study of growth and decay processes. The following can be distinguished:

- normal: Accelerating growth followed by decelerating growth, reaching a maximum and thereafter accelerating decay followed by slower decay until the end of the process.

- linear: regular arithmetic growth, theoretically – while not practically – unlimited in time.

- exponential: permanently accelerating growth (through some positive feedback, for instance), also theoretically unlimited in time.

- asymptotic: progressively decelerating when nearing maturity and tending to a defined upper limit.

- logistic: Accelerating growth followed by deceleration, but thereafter tending to asymptotic.

- oscillating: characterized by a series of growth and decrease, periodic or aperiodic phases.

- embedded: the cycle is limited by the patterns of a higher level cycle of longer periodicity and greater amplitude. Various levels of embedment are possible.

Numerous combinations of the forementioned patterns can be encountered, as for instance.

- oscillations may appear within a general long term trend, which itself can be of one or another basic type. An example is WADDINGTON's chreods.

- innovative spurts may prolong the cycle, delaying final decay for some time.

- decay can be interrupted by stabilization at an intermediate level (plateau).

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

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Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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