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Teleonomic entropy in biopsychosocial systems
Author(s) -
Katakis Dimitri F.,
Katakis Charis D.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
behavioral science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1099-1743
pISSN - 0005-7940
DOI - 10.1002/bs.3830270204
Subject(s) - biopsychosocial model , entropy (arrow of time) , complex system , statistical physics , statistical mechanics , maximum entropy thermodynamics , mathematics , computer science , thermodynamics , artificial intelligence , principle of maximum entropy , psychology , joint quantum entropy , physics , psychiatry
The concept of entropy has been developed from, and has usually been applied to, systems on one level. Due to its unifying potential, however, interest in applying entropy to, complex multilevel systems as well has recently increased. The concept's distributional and statistical formulations, nevertheless, have little relevance to the apparently purposeful, decision‐making properties of complex living systems. In order to make it more suitable for understanding the functioning of such biopsychosocial systems (particularly organisms, groups, organizations, and societies), its definition has to be extended. This paper introduces the new concept of teleonomic entropy. In order to distinguish this generalized concept from that of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, we shall refer to the latter as physicochemical entropy. Teleonomic entropy at the physicochemical level is related to, but not identical to, physicochemical entropy.