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

NONEQUILIBRIUM 1)2)

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The condition of a system undergoing ever wider fluctuations until it reaches some critical unstability threshold.

The basic understanding of nonequilibrium evolved considerably in the recent years. Before, as stated by I. PRIGOGINE et al, it was "considered as a perturbation temporarily preventing the appearence of structure identified with the order at equilibrium" (1975, p.17).

However, as stated by I. PRIGOGINE "nonequilibrium may be a source of order" in its own right, through the mechanism of dissipative structuration" (1978. p.1 /2).

Widely fluctuating systems, writes E. JANTSCH: "… try to maintain their capability for energy exchange with the environment by switching to a new dynamic regime" (1976, p.38).

This occurs through dissipative structuration and may lead to higher organization, in accordance with the principle of order through fluctuation established by I. PRIGOGINE. This higher internal organization of the system implies inevitably a higher level of entropy production.

N. ZELENY and N. PIERRE state: "Both nonequilibrium and instability are essential for self-organization of higher complexity"… and by the way "Human systems management is not optimal control theory or theory of conflict resolution" (1976, p.164).

In the same vein, A. TAYLOR writes: "Nonequilibrium systems are characterized by a high degree of energy exchange with the environment (and can therefore be termed dissipative structures). Thus, nonequilibrium dynamics is moving toward a theory of self-organization of processes and structures, applicable not only to the physical but to the biological and social domains as well" (1976, p.176).

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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