Social dynamics: Difference between revisions
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<b>Social dynamics</b> can be roughly defined as [[mathematics]] applied to [[sociology]]. Since [[life]] and [[society|societies]] are [[system]]s of [[information]] dealing with [[gene]]s or [[culture]], we can try to describe them by signals modified by [[transmission function]]s. Some examples follow. |
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| ⚫ | If a society is small, its individuums can come to a fine consensus in a short time, that means that its amplitude error is small and its frequency bandwidth is high. But its absolute amplitude is small, so this society is still dependant from the big amplitude of nature, from the forces of nature. A big society can overcome hunger, disease and poverty, but its [[political media]] are hogs; high but lagged and distorted output signal. |
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| ⚫ | Another example: societies use back-propagation, and feedback can have a negative or a positive sign. Negative feedback reduces amplitude and linearizes the information transmission, positive feedback does the opposite. Feedback polarity can change over frequency, that is the phase. Negative feedback is often used to diminish amplitude errors, but as the signal sign changes at high frequencies due to reaction delays a resonance can occur, leading to all kind of wicked phaenomenons, in the worst case catastrophic failure of the transmission line. When designing electronic devices, scy-scrapers, bridges and all kinds of regulations, resonances are the designer´s all-time favourite opponent. An example for a social resonance is the cyclus between economic boom and recession, the resonance frequency is mostly ~2-5 years. The strength of a resonance is measured by the parameter Q (for quality), and signal theory knows some more interesting parameters as for example great-signal and small-signal bandwidth, maxiumum output swing, noise floor, etc. |
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External links: |
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* http://139.142.203.66/pub/www/Journal/vol3/iss2/art4/ |
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* http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~read/connectionism_preface2.html |
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See also: [[Sociobiology]], [[Memetics]] |
See also: [[Sociobiology]], [[Memetics]] |
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Revision as of 21:17, 11 January 2002
Social dynamics can be roughly defined as mathematics applied to sociology. Since life and societies are systems of information dealing with genes or culture, we can try to describe them by signals modified by transmission functions. Some examples follow.
If a society is small, its individuums can come to a fine consensus in a short time, that means that its amplitude error is small and its frequency bandwidth is high. But its absolute amplitude is small, so this society is still dependant from the big amplitude of nature, from the forces of nature. A big society can overcome hunger, disease and poverty, but its political media are hogs; high but lagged and distorted output signal.
Another example: societies use back-propagation, and feedback can have a negative or a positive sign. Negative feedback reduces amplitude and linearizes the information transmission, positive feedback does the opposite. Feedback polarity can change over frequency, that is the phase. Negative feedback is often used to diminish amplitude errors, but as the signal sign changes at high frequencies due to reaction delays a resonance can occur, leading to all kind of wicked phaenomenons, in the worst case catastrophic failure of the transmission line. When designing electronic devices, scy-scrapers, bridges and all kinds of regulations, resonances are the designer´s all-time favourite opponent. An example for a social resonance is the cyclus between economic boom and recession, the resonance frequency is mostly ~2-5 years. The strength of a resonance is measured by the parameter Q (for quality), and signal theory knows some more interesting parameters as for example great-signal and small-signal bandwidth, maxiumum output swing, noise floor, etc.
External links:
See also: Sociobiology, Memetics
/Talk