CHAPTER 16 



Adaptation in the Multistable System 



16/1. Continuing our study of types of environment we next 

 consider, after Figures 15/7/1 and 15/8/1, the case in which the 

 subsystems of the environment are connected unrestrictedly in 

 direction, so that feedbacks occur between them. This type of 

 environment may vary according to the amounts of communica- 

 tion (variety) that are transmitted between subsystem and sub- 

 system. Two degrees are of special interest as types: 



(1) those in which it is near the maximum — the richly joined 



environment. (The exposition is more convenient if we 

 consider this case first, as it can be dismissed briefly.) 



(2) those in which the amount is small. 



The richly joined environment 

 16/2. When a set of subsystems is richly joined, each variable 

 is as much affected by variables in other subsystems as by those 

 in its own. When this occurs, the division of the whole into 

 subsystems ceases to have any natural basis. 



The case of the richly joined environment thus leads us back to 

 the case discussed in Chapter 11. 



16/3. Examples of environments that are both large and richly 

 connected are not common, for our terrestrial environment is 

 widely characterised by being highly subdivided (S. 15/2). A 

 richly connected environment would therefore intuitively be per- 

 ceived as something unusual, or even unnatural. The examples 

 given below are somewhat recherche, but they will suffice to make 

 clear what is to be expected in this case. 



The combination lock was mentioned in S. 11/9. Though not 

 vigorous dynamically, its parts, so far as they affect the output 

 at the bolt, are connected in that the relations between them 

 are highly conditional. Thus, if there are seven dials that allow 

 the bolt to move only when set at RHOMBUS, then the effect 



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