My question was simpler than that. Is there work on stocks and flows models in which the network structure is not static?
-- Russ On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 6:59 AM, Nicholas Thompson < [email protected]> wrote: > All, > > I have tried to stay out of this discussion because I know even less about > this subject than usual, if such a thing is possible. But ..... > > Russ Abbott wrote: > > *In a service-oriented agent-based model the agents have the ability to > reconfigure themselves dynamically and perhaps even to add new agents and > new stock nodes. In a stocks and flows model, the structure of the network > static.* > > Which led me to wonder if there is any thing lurking in the notion of > "self-reconfiguration" here that might be making the programing more > difficult. What would be lost (or gained) if we replaced the words "ability > to reconfigure themselves" with the words "sometimes are reconfigured". > That's the thing about metaphysics: cant live with it; cant live without > it. At the risk of saying something both controversial and > incomprehensible, isnt the notion of self-organization literally a non > starter because, in control theory, the control parameter, the measure by > which the system takes stock of its own organization, is always some part or > feature of the system, not the whole system. It's a cue. > > all be best, > > Nick > > Nicholas S. Thompson > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, > Clark University ([email protected]) > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/<http://home.earthlink.net/%7Enickthompson/naturaldesigns/> > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Russ Abbott <[email protected]> > *To: *The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group<[email protected]> > *Cc: *Antony W. Iorio <[email protected]>; [email protected]; > [email protected]; > Lowe,Donald<[email protected]> > *Sent:* 8/28/2009 5:49:40 AM > *Subject:* Re: [FRIAM] Agents, stocks, and flows > > In a discussion with a colleague today we talked briefly about stocks and > flows networks. It struck me that a stocks and flows model is a limited sort > of service-oriented agent-based model. In a service-oriented agent-based > model, agents accept inputs and produce outputs -- the simplest version > being a supply chain. That's really a stocks and flows model in which the > agents control the flows. Important differences are: > > - In an agent-based model, the agents are assumed to be autonomous in > various ways. In a stocks and flows model the flow rates are not > autonomous. > The flow rates are equations that don't have the ability to change > themselves.They are assumed to be facts about the nature of the domain > being > modeled. > > > - In a service-oriented agent-based model the agents have the ability > to reconfigure themselves dynamically and perhaps even to add new agents > and > new stock nodes. In a stocks and flows model, the structure of the network > static. > > So this raises the question whether anyone knows of any work in stocks and > flows modeling that addresses stocks and flows networks that are flexible in > the ways just mentioned. > > -- Russ > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
