ilya on order thru fluctuation
ilya prirogine on order thru fluctuation via michel bauwens tweet [https://x.com/mbauwens/status/1798609446480081244]:
Article: ORDER THROUGH FLUCTUATION SELF-ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL SYSTEM. Ilya Prigogine, 1976 “A thorough mathematical analysis of the spontaneous arising of new order in a fluctuating system, and how insights from dissipative chemical systems may be applied to large-scale social contexts.” (Text sourced from https://organism.earth/library/document/order-through-fluctuation…)
ha.. oi.. of math and men
notes/quotes:
ORDER THROUGH FLUCTUATION SELF-ORGANIZATION AND SOCIAL SYSTEM – 1976
In most of the phenomena studied in classical physics, fluctuations play only a minor role. This is the case in the whole domain of classical equilibrium thermodynamics based on Boltzmann’s ordering principle. On the other hand, the study of nonlinear systems under conditions far from equilibrium leads to new situations in which fluctuations play a central role. It is the fluctuations that can force the system to leave a given macroscopic state and lead it on to a new state which has a different spatiotemporal structure..t
not if we keep thinking we have to study/analyze/mathize spontaneity
we need to just let/trust the dance
carhart-harris entropy law.. in the city.. as the day
intro
In physics, the increase of entropy expressed by the second law of thermodynamics shows a tendency toward a progressive “disorganization” of the system. On the other hand, biological or social evolution is accompanied by a progressive structuration such as that introduced by the division of labor in the history of human societies.
dis\order.. structureless\ness
Dissipative (disappear/scatter) structures are associated with an entirely different ordering principle, which may be called order through fluctuation. In fact, such structures arise from the amplification of fluctuations resulting from an instability of the “thermodynamic branch.”
infinitesimal structures approaching the limit of structureless\ness and/or vice versa .. aka: ginorm/small ness
As we shall see in Section 2, dissipative structures present precisely the global aspect, the aspect of totality,..t which Comte ascribed to the object of the synthetic sciences.
In order to be able to take form, a dissipative structure requires a nonlinear mechanism to function. It is this mechanism which is responsible for the amplification mechanism of the fluctuation. Dissipative structures thus form a bridge between function and structure..t One may even consider such sociologists as Comte, Durkheim, or Spencer as forerunners of the concept of dissipative structures. In his treatise on the division of social labor,
ie: need means (nonjudgmental expo labeling) to undo hierarchical listening as global detox so we can org around legit needs
Many authors have indeed stressed the double role of “chance and necessity” in the human sciences and it is precisely these two elements which play a role in the phenomena dominated by the principle of order through fluctuation..t
spontaneous ness of legit needs.. aka: letting the dance dance
ch 5
These equations always admit a stationary homogeneous solution corresponding to the thermodynamic branch. One can determine the conditions which would render this state unstable.t Instability is favored if the cells undergo a sufficient augmentation of their sensitivity to a given gradient of acrasin, that is, if 𝜕 increases sufficiently. An increase in the rate of production of the acrasin or of its concentration in the medium, contributes to the destabilization of the homogeneous stationary state.
hari rat park law via sabbatical ish transition
We have here an excellent example of order by fluctuation. The fluctuations in the amoeba distribution destroy the uniform configuration and lead the system finally to a new inhomogeneous distribution. The analogy with the formation of towns starting from a uniform population is obvious.
ch 6
The mathematical aspects of works of art, particularly architecture, have been emphasized by many authors. It is remarkable to find this aspect already in constructions built by social insects.
ch 7
We have shown that it is only in the case of linear systems that the small fluctuations can be described by Poisson’s formula (see Nicolis and Prigogine, 1971; Nicolis et al., 1974; and Prigogine et al., 1975). For nonlinear systems far from equilibrium, the distribution law of the fluctuations of the reacting substances is not that of Poisson. How can this be explained? Recent studies (Mazo, 1975) have shown that there is an unexpected aspect that has to be considered. The fluctuations are local events, and one must consider a supplementary parameter scaling the extension of the fluctuations. This will be a new characteristic length determined by the intrinsic dynamics of the system and independent of the dimensions of the reacting volume. Thus, there is an essential difference in the behavior of the fluctuations depending on their spatial extension. Only fluctuations of sufficiently small dimensions obey Poisson statistics. This is a very important result because it implies that, conversely, only fluctuations of a sufficient extension can attain enough importance to compromise the stability of the macroscopic state considered.
ch 8
It must be recalled that even in the simplest cells the normal metabolic processes imply several thousand complex chemical reactions. Therefore, out of absolute necessity all these processes must be coordinated. These coordinating mechanisms constitute an extremely sophisticated functional order..t Thus, biological order is both functional and spatiotemporal order.
imagine if we listened to the itch-in-8b-souls 1st thing everyday & used that data to connect us (tech as it could be.. ai as augmenting interconnectedness as nonjudgmental expo labeling)
It is therefore tempting to apply these concepts to problems of social structure. There, as in the case of biological structures, the functional aspect is associated with specific structures. From one particular point of view we are in an even more favorable situation than in biology, because life is a very ancient phenomenon and its origin must imply a very considerable sequence of successive instabilities. In contrast, we are at least partially informed on the development of societies, thanks to archeological and ethnological evidence (see, e.g., Leroi-Gourhan, as quoted by Janne, 1963; and Rachet, 1969). In particular, we have considerable information concerning the history of technology and of the tools of primitive societies and about the way in which material progress has been reflected in the organization of society.
The important point is that we can now go further. The perfecting of the mathematical tools [theory of bifurcations, structural instabilities (see Section 4), and nonlinear stochastic equations] permits us to discuss in a more precise way some basic concepts introduced by sociologists.
there’s a legit use of tech (nonjudgmental expo labeling).. to facil a legit global detox leap.. for (blank)’s sake.. and we’re missing it
legit freedom will only happen if it’s all of us.. and in order to be all of us.. has to be sans any form of m\a\p
As an example, we shall consider the notion of the “quantum of action” to which Henri Janne (1963), in his monograph on sociology, attaches great importance.
Several research workers, notably Gregory Bateson (cited by Janne, 1963, p. 117), have felt the importance of emphasizing change in the description of social systems as coherent systems characterized by the structure-function relation. Bateson introduces the notion of dynamic equilibrium, with the help of which he shows that “any social system, in spite of its static appearances, contains at least small amplitude changes, appearing continuously and compensating one another.”..t This observation is to be compared to the existence of dysfunctions underlined by Janne (1963, p. 111). In our description, these phenomena correspond to the existence of fluctuations inherent to the statistical description. The deterministic description refers only to averages.
in undisturbed ecosystems ..the average individual, species, or population, left to its own devices, behaves in ways that serve and stabilize the whole..’ –Dana Meadows
imagine if we let that dance dance
In summary, our description includes two complementary aspects. These aspects correspond essentially to the dialectic between mass and minority, to use the expression introduced by F. Perroux (1964). The first aspect is that of an average behavior (the “average” man of Quetelet), the second is the existence of fluctuations which, when they exceed a critical level, influence that average because they drive the system to a new average state.
We believe that our model contains certain of the indispensable elements for the building of a theoretical sociology which cannot neglect either of these two aspects without seriously altering the significance of the social system.
A first point is the problem of the very existence of societies. Is there a limit to complexity? The question has been discussed many times in the literature. An excellent exposition is given in the monograph by May (1973). The more elements there are in interaction, the higher the degree of the secular equation determining the characteristic frequencies of the system (see Section 4). The greater will therefore also be the chances of this equation’s having at least one positive root and hence indicating instability.
Several authors have suggested that historical evolution selects certain particular types of systems that are stable. It has nevertheless proven difficult to give a quantitative form to such a suggestion. Our approach leads to a different answer: a sufficiently complex system will generally be in a metastable state. The value of the threshold of metastability depends on the size of the coefficient appearing in the stochastic equation (1.7). This coefficient, as we have seen, is a measure of the coupling of the fluctuating system with the outside world. This point of view seems to be in agreement with the one held by sociologists who conclude that a society has a limited power of integration. If the perturbation exceeds that power of integration, the social system is destroyed or gives way to a new organization.
graeber violence/quantification law
The existence of the constraint is indispensable in order to distinguish between an “average state” (including periods of development) and fluctuations leading to a new state. One may think that in a complex society the possibilities for instability (resulting, e.g., from new inventions) always exist. However, only certain inventions will go beyond the individual domain to a domain of integration with society. One has only to think of the wheel, used in the pre-Columbian epoque as a toy, but not as a means of transport.
The formalism that we have obtained leads quite naturally to a preliminary classification of societies according to the following two parameters: “complexity,” measured by the number of interacting functional elements; social pressure, measured by the parameter
It is of particular interest to consider the two limiting cases (b) and (c) in Table 1. Case (b) corresponds to a simple, “conformist” society. one thinks here of the archaic social systems which Lévi-Strauss has compared with “clocks” (Charbonnier, 1969). The opposite case is that of a complex system with a feeble coherence corresponding to historical societies which Lévi-Strauss compares to “steam engines.” One should notice that the nonhistoric nature, or “crystallinity,” of certain archaic societies corresponds, from this point of view, to active repression of the fluctuations.All other things being equal, the repression is stronger, the smaller the fluctuating group in which it acts (see Section 7). This is probably related to the remark of Gurvitch (quoted by Janne, 1963, p. 344): the family (a relatively small unit) is a conformist element in a society containing small fluctuations. In contrast, society as a whole constitutes the greatest dimension of fluctuation, and in consequence is subject to the least constraint (except at certain times, such as during a war). Accordingly, ehtnologists have been able to identify a great number of distinct societies. Does this mean that the evolution of societies is not subject to any general rule? In 1922, Lotka formulated his law of maximum energy flow (Lotka, 1956). In thermodynamic terms, this corresponds to a law of increase of entropy production per individual. This law seems to agree with the laws of technological evolution. As Leroi-Gourhan (quoted by Janne, 1963, p. 288) has written: “In the technical domain, the only features which will be transmitted are those which represent an improvement in the procedures. One may adopt a language which is less supple, a religion which is less developed, but one will never exchange a plough for a hoe.” The plough leads necessarily to an augmentation of the exploitation of natural resources and in consequence a greater energy consumption per individual. It is interesting to compare this tendency with the entropy production which appears in the early stages of embryonic life (Zotin, 1972). The increase of entropy production in turn renders possible the appearance of new instabilities..t We have already pointed to the evolutionary feedback in Section 4 of this chapter.
This increase in entropy production is related to the effect of structural instabilities discussed in Section 4. There is a close analogy between the “invention” of new techniques and the structural instability leading to new chemical mechanisms. Of course, there is no question of classifying societies according to a single criterion such as their energy or entropy production. This is merely a characteristic of evolution, but a very important one because of its universality. In contrast, our approach clearly shows the rather oversimplified nature of theories of “progress” (linear progress, cycles, etc.).
The ideas of “infrastructure” and “superstructure” have given rise to interminable discussions (see, e.g., Aron, 1967). It seems worthwhile, therefore, to indicate that within the framework of our formalism, these ideas take on a very direct meaning. A structural instability may result from the occurrence of a new function arising from a fluctuation. With such a fluctuation, one may associate a modification of the infrastructure. The relation between the space-time function-structure will be modified if the fluctuation leads the system to a new dissipative structure. From this point of view, the space-time structure appears as the “superstructure.”
Of course, the very possibility of fluctuations depends on the restraining character of a society, and therefore of the “superstructure.”..t The notions of average stage and of fluctuations can only be defined with respect to one another.
currently (since forever): sea world infra
need: global detox so can org around legit needs
As we have already indicated, it is necessary to separate the development periods from the periods of instability which lead to new structures. The problem of forecasting is entirely different in the two cases. In the former, it suffices essentially to study deterministic laws, whereas in the latter this is certainly not so. It has often been said that the life of the average man in Europe in the eighteenth century was very similar to that of the average man in the developing countries today. In the eighteenth century, however, fluctuations, triggered by the development of the sciences, were already growing. It is in the nineteenth century that we see these fluctuations attaining the “average” state and constituting a force which modified the destiny of European societies in their entirety. It is not surprising, therefore, that it was at this moment that the problem of time, of history, became the central theme of epistemology. Auguste Comte summed this up by predicting, “Our present century will be principally characterized by the irrevocable preponderance of history in philosophy, in politics, and even in poetry.”
forever ago .. to date.. always been sea world. . same song
need: hari rat park law
ch 9
Bergson (1963, p. 503) made the following statement: “The further we penetrate the analysis of the nature of time, the more we understand that duration signifies invention, creation of forms, and the continual elaboration of what is absolutely new.”
We recognize that we are beginning to clarify these notions of “invention” and “elaboration of what is absolutely new” by the mechanism of successive instabilities caused by critical fluctuations (Prigogine, 1973). The discovery of such mechanisms, which play such an essential role in a vast domain stretching from physics to sociology, is obviously a preliminary step toward some harmonization of the points of view developed in these different sciences.
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be you. 