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

DRIFT 1)2)

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A succession of changes in a system, obeying to no clearly definable rules.

Drift generally appears as a random phenomenon. This is because it results of various factors, none of them dominant, nor necessarily permanent or constant in its effects. Continuation of the drift is possible only if and when the occuring changes do not modify significantly the interrelations of the system or its elements with its environment, nor its basic internal organization.

Drift can be observed in many phenomena of very distinct types: in population genetics; in business trends; in political systems and even in values and norms.

To the opposite however, M. MARUYAMA states that: "At any one time a random initial kick (may) produce a deviation into a certain direction. Deviation-amplification takes over and this deviation is amplified consistently in the same direction. However, this cannot last very long, and soon deviation counteracting takes over, and the population becomes stabilized with certain characteristics. This process then repeats with other unpredictable drifts" (1976, p.86-7)

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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