Anticipatory behavior

["Judith Rosen" <***>]

I don't really know what my father would say about social systems, we didn't
discuss them in that vein so I only have his written work to go on , the
same as everyone. He spent a year in the early 80's in Santa Barbara working
at Robert Hutchins' "Center for the Study of Democratic Systems" or some
title close to that. He said that he compared cities to organisms in that
their structure and organization  are based on function, they need raw
materials in order to continue in good working order, they create waste,
they have what compares to a metabolism, etc. But he didn't say they were
"alive". It's hard to separate out what humans do based on their thought
process-- very sticky! I suspect that way lies innumerable booby-traps. I
don't envy anyone trying to scientifically analyze such things according to
my father's ideas of complexity.

I think Tim's comments about social systems are probably sound, with some
exhibiting what seems like anticipatory behavior (whether they really do
exhibit it or not is another matter) and the "mob" certainly doesn't.
Ecosystems and social systems alike, generally don't have the kind of
coherent organization that is the "womb"  for anticipatory behavior.
Anticipatory behavior is the hallmark of living systems, not just complex
systems. Studying such things becomes very difficult-- It's sometimes very
hard to sort out where one system's organization leaves off and another's
begins, or what happens when two systems share parts but are distinctly
different systems in spite of being connected. And then there is the pickle
of parasitic creatures whose environment or ecosystem is a living organism.
It's way too mind-boggling for me!  I don't know if my father wrote out any
suggestions on how to study them as opposed to the old, reductionist method.
That's not an area I had asked him about. I was too invested in getting my
mind around the basic core concepts. But if he did, you will be able to find
it.

Judith
Website address: http://www.rosen-enterprises.com/