I agree that McCulloch's concept of heterarchy is relevant and important,
but that is a concept that refers to a system that is governed or controlled
from a source external to itself -- that is, external to the system under
observation or discussion. "Hetero" means other, or different. I would wish
to begin by considering inter-systemic relationships before considering
intra-systemic connections. Perhaps this is a distinction without a
difference -- in the sense that for every system there is another system to
which it is related.
I do not wish to fall into the trap of thinking that because there are
different, separate or, even, "higher" inter and intra systemic levels, that
therefore they stand in a command/control relationship to each other. There
is a sense in which the Universe is the ultimate and/or metasystem of all
systems, but the question is whether or not that means a system is
controlled by that level or system of higher or different logical order.
I think Hans-Cees's comments about biological systems are extremely
important. The idea of emergence and/or generation is relevant to our
dialogue. So is the idea of systems in recursive relationship to each other
-- which is the topic that started this dialogue last year, in the first place.
As a biological entity, I, my human body, am a system -- indeed, a system of
systems. That which I call "I" could be considered to be the metasystem of
all those systems which constitute my human condition.
As a biological system I emerged out of another system of which, indeed, I
was at one stage an integral part: my mother. There are logical systemic
levels here, but we are not in command/control relationship to each other --
at least, not since I reached my sixteenth birthday.
I am controlled by some biological systems that control every aspect of life
on this plane, and even by some non-biological systems such as the
political/legal system of the geographical area or nation state in which I live.
I interact with many other systems, such as other human beings. I am not
necessarily in command/control relationship with them, either, nor with
another system in which I am included and which is called the human race.
For me, hierarchy is defined from the root words from which the term is
derived: "government by priests" -- which implies that there is a
command/authority relationship between the levels, intra-systemically. The
same could be true inter-systemically between micro, meso and metasystemic
levels. The Pope does control the College of Cardinals, who control the
Bishops... and so on "down" the line. The General does control the
Brigadiers, who control the Colonels, Captains, Lieutenants, Sargeants... It
is a characteristic of this kind of relationship that each level commands
all the "lower" levels and is governed by the "higher" levels.
I am interested in understanding the nature of the intra and inter level
relationship. Even if there are levels in everything, the relationship
between them is not necessarily hierarchical.
Boris Freesman
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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, (905) 886 5005; Fax, (905) 886 5006
e mail, freesman@inforamp.net
snail mail, 8 Quail Valley Drive, Thornhill, Canada, L3T 4R2
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