RE: [Fis] Continuing Discussion of Social and Cultural Complexity

[Guy A Hoelzer]

Stan,

Aren't all constraints a form of information?  I see constraints as informing 
the bounds of the adjacent possible and adjacent probable.  If this is correct, 
then it would seem to render the economy as almosst pure information.  In 
fact, I think it would render all emergent systems as pure information.  
Wouldn't it?

Regards,

Guy


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Stanley N. Salthe
Sent: Sat 2/24/2007 2:51 PM
To: fis@listas.unizar.es
Subject: Re: [Fis] Continuing Discussion of Social and Cultural   Complexity
 
Pedro said:

Dear Igor and Stan,

-snip-

The realm of economy is almost pure information. Rather than planning,
markets are very clever ways to handle informational complexity. They
partake a number of formal properties (eg, power laws) indicating that they
work as info conveyors on global, regional  sectorial, local scales.
Paradoxically, rational planning can take a man to the moon, or win a
war, but cannot bring bread and butter to the breakfast table every day.
Planning only, lacks the openness, flexibility, resilience, etc. of
markets. A combination of both, with relative market superiority looks
better...
 It is hard for me to visualize the economy as being almost pure
information!  This is to forget about so-called 'externalities' -- sources
and sinks, storms, wars, climate change -- even holidays!  The larger scale
material environment constrains the economy, while that(perhaps mostly as
information) constrains human action.

STAN

with regards,

Pedro

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RE: [Fis] Continuing Discussion of Social and Cultural Complexity

[Loet Leydesdorff]

 Aren't all constraints a form of information?  I see 
 constraints as informing the bounds of the adjacent possible 
 and adjacent probable.  If this is correct, then it would 
 seem to render the economy as almosst pure information.  In 
 fact, I think it would render all emergent systems as pure 
 information.  Wouldn't it?

In my opinion, one should distinguish between the distributional properties
which are information and the substantive ones. The systems differ in terms
of *what* is communicated. 

For example, one can consider an economy as an information system
communicating prices and commodities. The constraints, for example, are then
resources and regulations. The regulations, however, communicate information
very different from prices and commodities. 

With best wishes, 


Loet


Loet Leydesdorff 
Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681 
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/ 

Now available: The Knowledge-Based Economy: Modeled, Measured, Simulated.
385 pp.; US$ 18.95 

 
 

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