Concepts in Complex Systems

System persistance

The most general notion of a system makes the definition of the system an arbitrary choice of the observer. However, there is a sense in which system definition is not arbitrary because systems that we choose to think about are generally those which simplify our understanding of the world. Such systems typically have persistant properties.

Persistance can apply to physical, biological or social systems. For example, a hurricane has persistance, as does the overall form and internal properties of a biological system, and the structure of a social system.

Persistance of properties of a system can be achieved by many means: boundaries

homeostasis.

The notion of persistance is a generalization of the notion of survival in biology. This generalization does not have the same anthropomorphic or organismal flavor. It is a useful generalization because persistance can be of a property of a system and not of all the properties fo the system.

A moments reflection indicates that survival suggests the persistance of a certain notion of identity (self) even though an organism constantly undergoes change.

 

Among the general principles that apply to our understanding of dynamic response are:

 

Fluctuation dissipation theorem

Restoring / maintaining homeostasis

 

 

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