Hi, glen, Thanks for writing ... and reading.
You clearly have a point. Is hierarchical analysis just my tool, or is it something that my tool reveals. I would be interested in a clear example of a partial hierarchy to think about. You got one in your back pocket? Nick Nicholas S. Thompson Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Biology Clark University http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/ -----Original Message----- From: Friam [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On Behalf Of ? u??? Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2018 4:53 AM To: FriAM <friam@redfish.com> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Formalizing the concept of design This description suffers from the same criticism I made before: you're assuming a *strict* hierarchy, where the higher order can only operate over whole components from the lower order. I.e. the gun's algorithm 1st chooses the type/medium of target (ballistic, air, water), then uses that type to select the specific tracking sub-algorithm. And while this is mostly how it's done in artificial systems, I suspect biology does NOT use strict hierarchies. A higher order function can operate over a mixture of operands, some complex wholes in that higher order and some from the lower orders. E.g. if the gun's higher order selection is based not only on the 3 types (ballistic, air, water), but also on a lower order measure like *speed*, then it may well use he same sub-algorithm for both air and water. So, it takes both high order constructs and low order constructs as its operands. You see your assumption of a strict hierarchy peeking through when you say sex is the only motive that is ESSENTIALLY social. What do you mean by "essentially"? Couldn't we say that *all* the behavior of all the social animals is, in part, social? ... including following others to the water hole? So, these functions would be mixed ... do not obey a strict hierarchy. On 10/27/18 11:32 PM, Nick Thompson wrote: > But the function that connects the two arrays will be different in the two > kinds of gun because a surface target is capable of different sorts of motion > from an aerial target. > [...] > So, the gun would display two levels of design, the lower level that relates > trajectory to firing and the higher level that relates the lower level design > to target type. > [...] > This conception of multiple hierarchical layers of design is a useful > way to describe many of the phenomena that ethologists and > socio-biologists are required to explain. … -- ∄ uǝʃƃ ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove
