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ANNOTATION:
Quality and Quantity

All of the data that we have from the evolution of any kind of system show the same dependence - exponential increase of the Quality of the developing system with the increase of the Quantity. These two functions are connected and as the increase of the first of them leads to the increase of the second, the same way the increase of the second leads to the increase of the first. I will give one biological and one economical example. If there are more individuals of the same kind it is more probable for them to have useful mutation, or to change the environment and for the kind to evolve in better adapted state. This is the quantity increase the quality. From another hand, the following better organization in the kind of species leads to wider distribution and again to increase in the in the quantity. Then the cycle repeats again. This is the main way that the evolution happens. Let's consider another kind of developing system - the economy of our society. The same is true here. The distribution of a product - car or software leads to higher profit, which allows more spending for research and development and the R&D leads to increase in the quality ( productivity ) of the product. This incrwased quality gives better economic effect for the consummers and this incrase the spending for it, which increases the quantity. This new quantity repeats the cycle again. This two functions of developing system of any kind ( it might be language, mathematical, chemical or any other abstract system ) form a system themselves and can be viewed as a mechanism for development. This two abstract functions can be called interfunctions. The interfunctionality is the way any developing system evolves. If one of the interfunctions stops to increase the other stops as well. There is some equilibrium at which definite value of one of the interfunctions corresponds to definite value of the other of the interfunctions. This way if the increase of one of them stop, then stops the increase of the other, which means the development as a whole stops, and the developing system dies. For example if the growth of the human population in the world as a whole stop, then the development of the system as a whole will stop.


Author: Ben Swihart (graylight[ at ]altavista.net)
Date: Apr 15, 2000

REPLY: Your last example

Your last example,
"if the growth of the human population in the world as a whole stop, then the development of the system as a whole will stop."

Seems completely untrue. A different example would far better illustrate your concept. The units of another creature set, say rabbits or ants, would be far more appropriate.

Refutation: "It is clear that a lesser quantity human beings can continue to advance the orgizational path of higher quality." The system continues, as a whole, perhaps, arguably, at an even faster rate that with the accompanied problem of population growth.


Copyright© 1997 Principia Cybernetica - Referencing this page

Author
Georgi Georgiev (ggeorgie[ at ]tufts.edu)

Date
May 29, 1997

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