Monthly Archives: November 2019

We want to understand how a species of organisms might evolve:  (1) organic means of storing formal structures capable of bearing information about an organism’s state in the world, and (2) faculties for developing artificial extensions of those means.  Keeping that goal … Continue reading →

Re: Systems Science • Jack Ring In the last selection we found Ashby making what may strike us initially as a surprising inference.  Starting from the assumption that “an essential function of as a regulator is that it shall block … Continue reading →

Let’s pick up the observation Ashby made at the end of the last selection, regarding the job of a regulator, and continue with his text from there. Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/6.[cont.]   If is a regulator, the insertion … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/6.   Regulation blocks the flow of variety.   On what scale can any particular mechanism be measured for its value or success as a regulator?  The perfect thermostat would be one that, in spite … Continue reading →

Re: Ontolog Forum • Jon Awbrey • Paola Di Maio JA: We continue in pursuit of a system-theoretic answer to the question:  What are formalisms and all their embodiments in brains and computers good for? PDM: Could you also provide … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/5.[concl.]   To make the assumptions clear, here are some simple cases, as illustration.  (Inanimate regulatory systems are given first for simplicity.) (1) The thermostatically-controlled water-bath.  is its temperature, and what is desired is the … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/5.[cont.]   Now regard the system as one of parts in communication.  In the previous section the diagram of immediate effects (of cat and mouse) was (or could be regarded as) We are now considering the … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/5.   What is it survives, over the ages?  Not the individual organism, but certain peculiarly well compounded gene-patterns, particularly those that lead to the production of an individual that carries the gene-pattern well protected … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems Survival 10/4.   What has just been said is well enough known.  It enables us, however, to join these facts on to the ideas developed in this book and to show the connexion exactly. For consider … Continue reading →

Regulation In Biological Systems 10/3.   The foundation.   Let us start at the beginning.  The most basic facts in biology are that this earth is now two thousand million years old, and that the biologist studies mostly that which … Continue reading →