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

GRADIENT 1)2)

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Difference between some energetic or material level existing between a system and its environment or within subsystems of the same system.

Such differences normally produce flows which may disappear progressively through a diffusion process.

Gradients are at the same time a condition and a manifestation of a system's heterogeneity (or organization) and a condition of the existence of the system within its environment.

Their decrease implies an increase of entropy.

Every gradient is linked with a corresponding flow, which is termed "conjugated flow".

R. THOM observes that, while gradients are quantitative, they offer also various qualitative aspects (1991, p.107). These result partly from their interactions.

An example can be the "conflict between horizontal polarity and vertical direction, which are dual in our space" (p.112).

Thom also explains that attractors correspond to maxima in gradients (p.161).

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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