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

EQUILIBRIUM (Levels of) 1)

← Back

As a result of complex intertwining of different functional cycles in the variations of a complex system's behavior, different levels of equilibrium may become dominant at different moments.

K.DE GREENE states: "At any period the system hovers around an equilibrium level. Over time, deviations from equilibrium may expand or contract" (1988, p.283).

This author, who reconsiders the whole subject of cycles, explains that, in economic cycles, "KONDRATIEV identified at least three orders of equilibrium:

"1. first order equilibrium of short duration…

"2. second order equilibrium of intermediate duration…

"3. third-order equilibrium of longest (but nevertheless limited) duration" (Ibid).

Short duration corresponds to more or less small and local random movements of quite limited amplitude, channelled within medium and long term trends

2d order movements are related to more permanent trends, while 3rd order ones are related to the most basic and general alternative conditions that the system may possibly have to adapt to.

There can be more than three levels of equilibrium.

On the other hand "short, intermediate and long duration" are defined in relation to the nature of the system. They have different meanings for the growth of some annual plant and for sequoias, for flies and for elephants.

Levels of equilibrium, described by KONDRATIEV in economic cycles, command undoubtedly the dynamics of numerous other types of systems, specially those in homeostatic conditions. Transitions from one level to another can be sudden, and thus catastrophe and chaos theories could be useful to formalize models.

Categories

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

Publisher

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]

We thank the following partners for making the open access of this volume possible:

© 2020 BCSSS Contact/Imprint