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

PHASE COEXISTENCE 2)

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A characteristic of a system endowed with a variety of potential phases to which it can switch when necessary in order to maintain its stability.

As stated by R. FIVAZ, their existence "… tend to release the system from external determinants", as they "… confer to the system features independant of the environment such as identity and autonomy" (1991, p.25).

This model is closely related to ASHBY's variety.

FIVAZ shows that phase coexistence regimes are alterning with metastability phases. He writes: "Each of the two regimes influences parameters which determine the onset of the other regime: metastability increases the system size and eventually leads to phase coexistence, whereas phase coexistence modifies internal couplings so that a new metastability run may start. Thereby, the two regimes generate each other and a stage development takes place where maximization and hierarchization alternate" (Ibid).

This could be an interesting explanation for macro-evolution toward complexity through structural dissipation traded against entropy production increase.

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]

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