| << back |
Editor's Foreword
With the development of the scientific-technological
revolution the physical, chemical and biological influence of mankind on
nature increases sharply. The stronger this influence, the more effective
must be the means of managing it, and the basic problem for us today clearly
is not so much to choose the optimum (most economically profitable) method
of management, but rather to predict and prevent an ever-increasing danger
of natural and irreversible processes occurring which threaten the existence
of man and of life on earth in general. Surely no more complicated problem
has presented itself to mankind before.
One can argue about when the irreversible shifts in
nature will occur and what their consequences will be but it is certain that
the time available for the solution of this very complicated problem is not
great.
What this in mind being done on the theory of
systems or systemology acquires particular significance. This study is more
often called 'systems analysis' and it arose from the demand for solutions
to similarly complicated problems Studies on systematic orientation which
deal not only with the basic principals of the methodology of systems theory
but also the effectiveness of a systematic approach to the solution of
complicated. modern-day problems in cybernetics are particularly valuable.
This book is like that: systematic by subject and by presentation.
In the first part the author deals with the nature
of systems analysis in detail and in the second applies it to the more
general semiotic problems of cybernetics. Both parts of the book are
original and have independent meaning. One of the individual aspects of the
book is its attempt to present the essence of systemology from a single
point of view. In order to do this the author analyses in depth the basic
ideas on the concept of systemology and shows that these ideas are linked to
laws and categories of material dialectics, and that systems analysis only
leads to the level of concrete, practical knowledge of basic rules of the
development of nature and is not a new 'world view' as is often suggested by
systems theoreticians in the West.
The author does not try to formulate a presentation
of his own which would be biased if attractive, however the manner of
presentation of the hook may be seen as a first step in this direction.
In the exposition of systems analysis GPM
isprimarily concerned with that which unites a system as a whole. Many
authors, when researching complicated systems, try either to divide them
into simplified sections and look at the link between them as an obstacle to
further division, or conversely, pay all their attention to the links of the
chain and the essence of the relationship (structure) between sections and
elements of the whole, and say that the nature of the elements being linked
is vital for the establishment of the whole. GPM focuses on the structure of
the whole and on those properties which surface in each of its elements
precisely because of the existence of a system as a whole, and on the nature
of the whole stemming from the individuality of the properties of the
elements which form it and which show the mechanisms of compatibility of all
these parameters of the system, which is formed by the inevitable
interaction with the environment.
Every system in as far as it exists must acquire the
characteristics necessary for reacting against outside forces (and the
effects of other systems) which try to destroy the system. The longer the
system exists and the stronger the influences to which it is exposed, the
greater (in the system, the whole and each of its elements) must be the
properties of compatibility produced during the adaption process. These are
the qualities Hegel was referring to when he said that the ocean is
expressed in a single drop.
The appearance of these common qualities and the
identification of their origin (concealed in the complex of external forces)
which the author calls a determinant system opens a wide range of
possibilities for research into those properties of complex systems which
are responsible for their complexity. This allows another look at the idea
of a system and to discover such links between its sections and those
characteristics of its elements whose existence it is often hard to
ascertain. GPM managed to identify (as a result of research into the
characteristics of the overwhelming numbers of languages on earth) the
agreed dependence between grammar of a language and its phonetics, and to
formulate a new systematic typlolgy of languages whereby the structure of
languages is compared with the characteristics of their determinants.
The approach which the author develops allows quite
an accurate definition of the difference between systematic and structural
analysis. It turns out that these differences are by nature included in one
hypothesies:
the ideas of structuralists are based on the theory
that absolute amorphous material exists from which system the properties of
a given element of the system are formed instantaneously only in relation to
its position in the structure.
According to the views of the systemologists
completely amorphous material does not exist. Every material has the
characteristics of previous systems, in which it appeared before, and
moreover gained the ability to keep its acquired characteristics to a
greater or lesser degree, during the process of adaption. Therefore when
such material serves as a model for a new system a long adaption of the old
and formation of new characteristics occurs ie at each moment in every
element of the system 2 types of characteristics exist; the original
(material), which reflect the material's history, and those caught by the
system (structural) which are defined by the determinant of the system.
The questions dealt with by the author on the
relationship between the structural (logical, syntactic) and the substantial
(material, systematic) in actual, real and artificial systems not only
represent the general philosophical interest but also have great
significance in the construction of manmade systems which are a basic tool
for the solution of more complicated contemporary problems in cybernetics.
For the effective use of such systems it is first
necessary to divide the process of solution into 2 parts: one intented for a
machine, formal, corresponding to the structure of the researched or
constructed object with the logical interaction of its parts; and the
corporate, semantic, uncalculated peculiarities which have not been reduced
to the structure of the object ie mankind. Under these conditions man's
major concern being the total application of technical possibilities (in
order to put the unformulated part of the problem down to technology) became
a real option for specialists.
The ability of man to separate the formalised part
of a problem, like other skills of man in being able to work with informal
objects, is one of nature's greatest puzzles. So any attempt to penetrate
this secret or even to outline approaches to it are very important. From
this angle the concepts laid out in the book open a very enticing
perspective. Although the author tries not to stress the link between the
problems he develops and problems of artificial intelligence, nevertheless
it is completely described in the book. By this means the author focuses
attention on the central problem: how people think; what role language plays
in the thought process, how thought is enveloped in words in social
interaction between individuals, and not on the popular problem of
formulating heuristis (anthropological) methods of solving artificial,
frivolous problems. In this respect the problematics of the book touches on
the formulation of principles of the construction of integral automatic
devices (but not on heuristic programming).
The author arrives at the formulation of these
principles not so much from straightforward technical experimentation as
much as systematic interpretation of good quality semiotic, linguistic and
psychological material, which has been gathered to date. In connection with
this much attention is paid to an analysis of such primary questions of
cybernetics as the sources of the ability to form mechanisms of
identification and prognosis, indicative communication and modeling and the
degree of importance of the application of these mechanisms for the
productive interaction of people and machines, and machines with machines.
The author uses specialised symbolic apparatus in order to outline
economically typical components of these processes.
The chosen exposition of its contents differentiates
between fundamentalism and conclusiveness. However one must remember that
the questions dealt with relate at present to a number of questions which
are much harder to present and understand and therefore the reader must be
prepared to put some effort into reading the book. Many parts will need to
be read twice, and questions must be considered but the diligent reader will
gain a lot from the reading of the book.
Informal-logical type of deduction and therefore the
possibility of finding regularity where formerly only a haphazard mish-mash
of facts were present is just one of the things to be enjoyed by the reader.
As is clear from all of this, the author's
methodology is not a goal in itself - he has had to pay serious attention
to this part of the book precisely because he is faced with problems of
general cybernetics. But because of this the first half of the book which is
put in context by the exposition of the author's conception of systems
analysis really presents the whole idea. The reader more interested in
systemology can pinpoint his attention on the first part of the book, taking
the second half as an appendix which shows how the concept can serve as an
effective tool for solving difficult cybernetics questions. The reader
interested in questions dealt with in part two can look on the first half
also as an appendix but very necessary, which a preface or list of
conclusions could not comprehensibly afford to him.
2. The concept of the systems analysis has firstly
not a formal-axiomatic orientation but an onthological-material one which
tends towards a formulation of basic concepts and principles of systems
analysis such as would achieve a most clear engineering, biological and
psychological interpretation and therefore could be a means for describing
and reflecting on the natures of actual existing systems and on their
construction, their application to computers. In this respect the book is
'cybernetic' as well as 'systematic'.
It is important to note that the dialectic nature of
basic rules of systemology presented by the author is not only stated but
proved. On the basis of the calculation of principles of dialectic
development the author shows the nature of the incorporate interaction of
men and machines; these principles are applied in the methodological part of
the work with the demonstration of the original ideas of systems analysis.
These ideas are not just chosen because they are undefined, as is assumed in
axiomatic theory construction, but they are developed in proportion to their
application by considering what has been taught by the preceding.
This creative kitchen usually modestly hidden in
publication, seems very real in the author's treatment, taking as he does
the stance of a dialectic. This enables him to identify support in the
discussion as to which sections are worthy of formulating systems analysis
and what must principally operate on the calculation of rules of development
and rules of inconsistency, on the basis of which a machine can be
constructed which can perform even the most elementary creative acts and
without which plans for the productive interaction of man and machine are
doomed to failure.
3. If the reader does not share the author's
original dialectic convictions the conclusions reached on this basis may
seem unconvincing. This fact which is vital for the solution of many
contemporary cybernetic problems so that the automat can perform creative
acts is beyond question. One must acknowledge the effects of formal
algorythms on the behaviour of the machine and more so a way of solving the
problems which arise in 'cyberneticising' the rules of dialectic
procreation.
A series of negative results linked to the
possibilities of incorporate axiomatic theories says that the deductive path
of hypotheses of such theories cannot be conclusively more accurate than
what the hypotheses actually put forward.
So the creative act is fundamentally linked to the
choice of the hypotheses themselves from among those which would be capable
of solving the problem. As L.V.Krushinskii showed when studying animal's
intellect, the simplest act of creation of an animate creature is the
application of his experience, which leads to a correlation of the type of
hypothesising on the elementary rule of nature which allows a creature to
interact more effectively with its environment. If the substance of the
inductive creative act is found in this, but we are making the machine have
an intellectual level at least equal to that of an animate being then it
must be ascertained whether one can advance a theory which does not disclose
important information contained in the original facts. Whether the answer is
yes or no will be important for the choice of solution for a problem of
artificial intelligence. The author thinks the answer is no.
4 So the need to go beyond the bounds of formal
logic in order to work out principles of correlation has a second basis.
However, the author does not draw conclusion from this about the basic
futility of applying formal apparatus in solving complex cybernetics
problems. On the contrary, in contrast to solidity, the substance of
technical and natural systems of non-solidity of their structural models, he
clearly describes this circle of occurrences, a description and the
construction of which should be carried out at first using the strictly
formal apparatus of logic and mathematics. Using this proposal on the
substance of adaptability the author brings out the fact that the concept of
formality can be extended without losing its rigidity. Contemporary attempts
to enrich the original ideas regarding the fundamentals of maths and the
attainment of richer and less usual theories00 which are intended for the
calculation of the onthology of substances being researched.
The methodological foundation and deep significance
of these also enriches the stock of principles for the construction of
formal theories and is clearly outlined in terminology of the correlation
between the formalised and the unformalised which the author looks at in his
treatment of systemology.
It is very important that the author shows the
physical reality of what is unobtainbable using strict formalisation.
Because of this a material object is contrasted with its structural model.
This affords the opportunity to systematise the
original concepts of semiotics and to show the inner link and basic contrast
between the rule and its significance, between significance and sense,
between thinking and purely linguistic processes and between natural and
artificial language.
In particular the authors position that the deeper
the adaption of even an inanimate, physical object, the greater the degree
the inherent predisposition to interaction with the environment can
principally be taken as an act of learning.
An abundance of cardinal scientific problems is
discussed in a small book. This did not enable the author to use his own
method of presenting his thoughts for which he is well known. One must also
note the wide range of phenomena in whose analysis he applies his principles
of systemology. From work on this range of phenomena he also establishes
weak links between these principles and their development.
The material covered by the book also explains the
fact that there is a need to expose even more important aspects of the
advanced theory of systems analysis and to demonstrate its applicability but
that the author was forced to decline an analyses of other systematic
concepts.
Yu.G.KOSARYEV
