Contents 



CHAPTER PAGE 



Summary and Preface v 



1 The Problem 1 



2 Dynamic Systems 13 



3 The Animal as Machine 29 



4 Stability 43 



5 Adaptation as Stability 57 



6 Parameters 72 



7 Step-functions 80 



8 The Ultrastable System 90 



9 Ultras tability in the Living Organism 103 



10 Step-functions in the Living Organism 125 



11 Fully Connected Systems 130 



12 Iterated Systems 139 



13 Disturbed Systems and Habituation 144 



14 Constancy and Independence 153 



15 Dispersion 166 



16 The Multistage System 171 



17 Serial Adaptation 179 



18 Interaction between Adaptations 190 



APPENDIX 



19 The Absolute System 203 



20 Stability 216 



21 Parameters 226 



22 Step-functions 232 



23 The Ultrastable System 237 



24 Constancy and Independence 241 



Index 255 



ix 



