Sorry I did not have a chance to respond to yours of Septemeber 5 before
leaving town for a few days.
>OK, from here on out hierarchy_B (for Boris) will refer to a particular
>form of social organization characterized by a strictly hierarchical
>(tree-like) system of command and control, in the style of military
>organization...
>While I'm clear about hierarchy_B, at this point I have only a vague idea
>of SPECIFICALLY what you (and/or Beer) mean by "recursive system"..
>It would help a lot if you would give either a very specific formal
>description of a recusrive_B system, or a small, simple example,
>contrasting it with a hierarchical_B system.
That was the whole purpose of the quotation from Beer's book: I can't state
the proposition any better, myself.
What we want to look at, is the nature of the relationship between the
components or parts (as the case may be) of a system because the nature and
quality of those relationships tells us something about the parts or
components themselves, as well as about the system under consideration --
which I call the mesosystem, to distinguish it from macro or metasystems, on
the one hand, and microsystem/s, on the other hand.
In recursive architecture, the mesosystem is composed of parts or
microsystems that are embedded within it and, in turn, it is a component of
a macrosystem within which it is contained. The "links" between parts or
components are interactive; the macro/meso/microsystems are interconnected
and interrelated; information flows abundantly between them, and a resulting
equilibrium is established and maintained by continuous feedback and
re-adjustment -- that is, causal circular feedback.
In plain language, the various systems are interdependent -- which is the
essential reason for my original question as to exactly what you meant by
"metasystem transition." Is it a transition in which the identity and
integrity of the mesosystem disappears into the macro/metasystem? Or, is it
a transition in which the identity and integrity of the mesosystem
continues, but in a more comprehesive (larger?) environment or context?
When I was a child, I used to play a simple "mind game" with myself that
went something like this: I am on this bed; this bed is in this room; this
room is in this house; this house is on this block; this block is on this
street; which is in this neighbourhood...which is in this district...which
is in this city...this province...this county..this province...this
country...this continent...this planet...this solar system...this
constellation... Now, that is recursive architecture or structure!
Let's make sure we are on "the same frequency," thus far, before we go too
much further in trying to discern the specific differences and similarities
between hierarchical and recursive architecture.
Boris
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Boris G Freesman, Q.C.
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"Collaborating in the task of reshaping the future of humanity."
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"Caminante, no hay camino; se hace camino al andar." (Antonio Machado)
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Toronto, Canada
Phone, (416) 512 8965; Fax, (416) 512 8964
e mail, freesman@inforamp.net
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