Re: Rosennean "Cookbook"

[Tim Gwinn <***>]

Jack,

I agree: I don't think you are alone in hoping for a cookbook. I'm not sure
what Judith's view is, but speaking for myself, I feel the field is not yet
close to being developed to the point of the kind of toolkit of approaches
for engineers that you mention. I wonder whether we even have enough
knowledge to have a taxonomy of complex systems that could be used for
sorting out what kinds of tools work best for some particular class of
complex systems for some particular kind of problems. I feel like its all
largely still pioneer territory.

At this point, I think its a matter of posing the specific problem or
question, seeing if any the existing tools are adequate or appropriate, and
if not, then having to do the pioneer work of devising new tools and
approaches.

Regards,
Tim

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ROSEN Forum [mailto:*** Behalf Of Jack
> Park
> Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 6:51 PM
> To: ***
> Subject: Re: Rosennean "Cookbook"
>
>
> Tim,
>
> It seems to me that there are several aspects to a good cookbook that
> need articulation. One is the tutorial side that shows where various
> kinds of analytics are valuable. The next is the "recipes" for
> application.
>
> But, I think, it is larger than that. Any systems modeling in the large
> calls for some sort of framework that guides entry into the analytics
> themselves. Engineers were trained: "when you see this problem class,
> apply that methodology."  Sure, doing science is bound to be more
> complex and unyielding to simplification, and I'm not asking for that.
> But, Judith and others have mentioned, here and elsewhere, a Rosennean
> way of "doing science." A proper cookbook would include such guidance.
>
> At the same time, I repeat my "where's the beef" sentiment. Aging,
> excitation and inhibition, enzyme-substrate recognition, those sorts of
> things are all important. But, there are large problems that I suspect
> this methodology can be applied to, and those are the kinds of problems
> that large segments of the population would best be served by bringing
> Rosennean analytics to rather soon. Recall that Rashevsky was really
> interested in modeling traffic flows. Sounds lame? I don't think so.
> That's a whole class of problems that would serve, by way of analogy, to
> other problems.
>
> Just a few thoughts for the time being.
> I'm sure I'm not alone in a quest for a cookbook.
>
> Jack