How do living systems operate?

How do living systems operate? Presenting the theory of Repeated, Rapid Restructuring Miklos Fodor, 2010 miklos.fodor@gmail.com

What is a living complex adaptive system (lCAS, or just short: “system” )? lCAS or system: all living beings that are built from living/organic parts (sub-systems). Lowest level: cells. Living: organic entity that can be created and can cease (that can born and die) Structure: grid automaton (Burgin, 2003; 2005) Within a system one can find sub-systems. These sub-systems are built from other sub-sub-systems Example on lCAS: neuron, cognitive schema, human, couple, group, society, country, organisation

What is the main purpose of these systems? Survival: WRONG ANSWER Reproduction: WRONG ANSWER They have no special purpose. “Purpose” is a human notion! They do not do else than connect to other systems. If the information can flow freely through it the established connection remains.

How can the behaviour of such system be described? They act similar to what a model does: decrease the amount of information coming from the environment, and by combining these selected information produce an output Selection of information

Systems as models Similar to a model systems transform inputs into outputs . inputs output(s) The transformation itself depends on how the sub-systems are connected and what type of information they can process -- by their so called “acceptance range”

= = What is the acceptance range? In case of mathematical functions there is a specific set of values that can produce output. Similarly not all inputs can be transformed into outputs by living systems. Type of input differs input Range differs Example: a cow can not produce milk if it eats only meat. Cow’s acceptance range is: “plants similar to grass”. Respectively cow will not produce milk either if too less grass is given to it.

output input How does two systems connect? Connection = using another system’s output as input Two connected systems form a new system. Example: When a man says something that’s an output. If a woman listens to it than she has used it as an input. If they do it repetitively they can form a couple (a new system)

What is the consequence if two or more systems connect? They can perform more complex tasks They integrate different aspects of the reality They can join efforts If the output they produce together is more adaptive than their earlier outputs, they have managed to increase their chance for survival Cf. the concepts of EMERGENCE resp. SYNERGY

The everyday (“nothing new”) usage of connected systems Adequate and rapid answers are generated based on inputs coming from environment. This is the case when no learning is needed. Everything is OK and the systems are fully adaptive All sub-systems are able to process the preceding sub-systems’ inputs The information flows through the system unhindered Example: daily routine, reflexes, recalling from memory, habits

Failure in modelling • The sign that a system is badly adapting is that • produces outputs that other systems can not use (e.g. insane speech or silly behaviour) or • does not produce output at all (e.g. depression) REASON: the information can not flow over the system, because two (or more) systems do not connect well Two systems connecting badly (the output of the first one can not be used as input by the second one)

Mismatch types in connection • A bad connection can be either • inter-system or • intra-system

Repairing bad connections Both inter-system and intra-system bad connection can be resolved by restructuring. This means that a system disintegrates itself into its composing sub-systems and these parts re-connect in a different pattern. This process is repeated until information can flow again freely through the system. disintegration re-connection This “disintegration - reconnecting” cycles by outside observer seem to be random, but it happens driven by the laws of physics

Repairing bad connections • As a result of the restructuring two things could happened: • either the acceptance range of the latter system has changed or • the earlier system has started to produce such output, which falls into the latter system’s acceptance range

When to re-structure? Anytime when the flow of the information is blocked re-structuring is needed. As restructuring needs resources there is a tolerance when declaring the necessity for a restructuring. Example: at a shooting range one does not give up shooting just because his first shot was not 10/10. This means that his acceptance range was say from 8 to 10. This makes him able to enjoy this sport even if not always delivering maximum performance. Not shooting at all would be less optimal behaviour for him. If the person is an Olympic champion in case of a 9/10 performance he might start re-structuring his schemas in order to do something better, as his acceptance range is between 9.7 to 10.

Where to re-structure? The previously presented dichotomy of intra- vs. inter-system is dependent of the point of view. Systems have effect only on what is inside them (sub-systems, sub-sub-systems and so on). Everything what is outside of them is controlled/managed by their parent-system. As the bad connection can not be localised by the system, it has to pick randomly systems from the chain of systems which prove to be not-working. There is no external agent which can “tell” a system where to restructure. So it tries on a trial-error basis on different levels of the nested structure. The system to be restructured Restructuring happens on a lower level Restructuring happens on a higher level

What happens during restructuring? The connection between re-structured sub-systems is ceased. So these sub-systems can not be used during re-structuring: their usage is suspended. Example on suspension: when one wants to build a new building and takes a Lego building to pieces, then has neither the old building nor the new one

Steps of restructuring Suspension and re-connection goes parallel (cf. trial-error method). While there is no success the system breaks into smaller and smaller parts. Via connections the suspended state spreads across the system as an epidemic, decreasing the number of operating systems exponentially. restr. restr. restr. restr. restr.

The pattern of restructuring After a successful restructuring the sub-systems (incl. the one the system has connected to) are up and running again. This activation is also spreading like an epidemic but in a reverse order. The parent system now includes the sub-schemas of the newly connected system as well (in our case additional 25)

When does restructuring stop? Restructuring is repeated until information flows freely within the system. As further systems will connect to the restructured system this testing process theoretically never ends (similar to the development of science or the life-long learning).

Manipulation chamber Re-structuring is a resource consuming process and its efficiency and chance for success depends on the flexibility of the connections of the systems. [Flexibility = how much resource and time is needed to cease and to create a connection] To increase the speed of restructuring [= how many system set-ups --worth testing -- can be created per time unit] some systems have developed a special sub-system that is well supplied with resources and is more flexible. The sub-systems with bad connections are copied into this manipulation chamber where a better connection is searched. Then the newly created, improved set-up is copied back to the original place. • Examples: • at humans: m.ch. = consciousness. Most of the problems are solved faster in the conscious state, but can be solved also without being aware. • organisations: m. ch. = management meeting. Decision are taken faster when different departments’ problem is brought to the round-table

Manipulation chamber (2) It is not optimal for all species to maintain such manipulation chamber. Just for those which meet often changing environment, and fast reaction is a key for survival. That is the reason why for example plants - whose built does not allow quick reactions - does not build such manipulation chamber. With other words, they do not need consciousness. Animals operate with significantly less cognitive schema than humans as they do not use language. So a less developed (smaller capacity and less resourceful) manipulation chamber is worth maintaining. That is why they show signs of consciousness.

Manipulation chamber (3) Q: If more than one connections went wrong in a system which one should be copied into the manipulation chamber? A. The one that affects the most sub-system connection problems. This is why always the biggest dilemma enters in our consciousness. For example it is hard to focus even on solving a simple tasks when we have met an unsolved and more important problem.

Further topics This slideshow presents the key concept how living systems (lCAS) work. There are two major direction that the presented concept can be utilised. First steps from both are presented in the document: Miklos Fodor: Self-expansion, Academic Edition • Exact definitions of some psychology concepts as: • thinking, problem solving • creativity • self, consciousness • dreams • attention • communication • Helpful theoretical basics in the following areas: • cognitive neuroscience • organisation theory • family therapy • political sciences • social psychology • psychotherapy

Table of contents from the book Miklos Fodor: Self-expansion - Academic Edition The book is freely downloadable from http://www.psy2.org/bizt /Self-exp_Acad.pdf

Some suggestions for translating the presented approach to maths language • detailed description of the lCAS • restructuring’s process in details • probabilities to find a good connection set-up and strategies to reach them (depending on speed, flexibility, number of sub-systems, levels) • resource using efficiency in case of manipulation chamber • proving that best strategy is to copy the worst connection into the chamber first • Further ideas (e.g. competition, multiplication or communication topic) could be discussed via phone/Skype live in a brain storming

How do living systems operate?