Collective Control mini-taxonomy

CSGnet Archive CSG2018
1

[Martin Taylor 2018.11.18.16.39]

[Martin Taylor 2018.11.18.14.15]

Fred Nickols (2018.11.18.1205 ET)

Where would I find your taxonomy, Martin?

Since the message in which I posted it has not been delivered, even after having been re-posted, here it is by itself. This extracted from a chapter on collective control. A "CCEV" is an environmental variable that corresponds closely to a perception controlled by all the members of the collective.

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On 2018/11/18 12:05 PM, Fred Nickols wrote:

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We thus have at least three types of Collective Control in which all the members act on the same CCEV as a means of controlling their own perceptions.

1. Conflicted Control: The participants have individually derived reference values for perceptions whose CEVs are closely related to the CCEV. The CCEV remains as if it corresponds to a controlled perception, but the outputs of the individual controllers tend to increase as in any conflict. Several people push on a rock, all wanting it in a different place.

2. Collaborative Control: The participants control a higher level set of perceptions of belonging and being seen to belong to “the group�?, bringing their reference values for their perceptions of the CEVs that combine to form the CCEV toward a common value, eliminating the conflict while maintaining strong control. Several people push on a rock trying to move it to a place on which they agree.

3. Coordinated Control: All members who are controlling for perceiving themselves and being perceived as belonging to the group accept reference values provided by an agreed leader. Several people push on a rock trying to get it to a place chosen by the leader.

In addition, there are at least three forms of Collective Control in which the participants act on different aspects of the environment in order to achieve a higher-level purpose � a reference value for thee actual CCEV � all have in common, rather than all trying to influennce the common CCEV in the same way. We will consider some of them in more detail later.

4. Guided Control: A plan, with or without a specific planner, determines who does what (I’ll hold the pole while you hammer it into the ground. I’ll get the supplies if you guys get the the tents put up.)

5. Giant Real Control Unit: Different people or groups of people use protocols in ways that mean that some play the roles of the different units of a control unit (Sensors, Perceptual Function, Reference � the CEO or the Commander �, Comparator, Output function, Effectors), soo that the whole social structure acts as a controller. This concept is elaborated in Chapter 26.

6. Hierarchy of Social Control Units: Same as 5, with different levels of controller interacting as in the Powers hierarchy for control units within an organism.

These six forms of collective control are unlikely to be definitive, but apart from the first form, they all achieve the power of increased loop gain without the cost of conflict, except possibly during the process of selecting a leader or otherwise developing the collective control structure.

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Fred, I hope you get this version, without the commentary that accompanied it the two previous times.

Martin

2

[Bruce Nevin 2018-11-19_01:28:46 UTC]

This  appears to be a hierarchy of social arrangements in which more than one controller controls a single variable. In all but the first case, conflict, the individuals so arranging themselves control by means of collectively controlled variables in the sense that I have been talking about: (2, 3) perceptions of belonging and being perceived to belong to ‘the group’ (4) a plan, (5, 6) protocols and roles. In some cases of (1) conflict each of the participants is controlling some self-image kind of perception by means of a collectively controlled perception of being seen as a winner.

A. A feature of the environment which facilitates control by an indeterminate number of people for a variety of purposes is subject to breakdown or other disturbance with the effect of impeding or preventing that control, and it is ‘fixed’ (its capacity to facilitate control is restored) by the user whose control is currently frustrated. This could be any of those who use it.

B. The same, except that the role of ‘fixing’ it is a variable that is collectively controlled in the manner of type 5 or 6 in your hierarchy.

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On Sun, Nov 18, 2018 at 4:46 PM Martin Taylor csgnet@lists.illinois.edu wrote:

[Martin Taylor 2018.11.18.16.39]

[Martin Taylor 2018.11.18.14.15]

On 2018/11/18 12:05 PM, Fred Nickols wrote:

Fred Nickols (2018.11.18.1205 ET)

Where would I find your taxonomy, Martin?

Since the message in which I posted it has not been delivered, even

after having been re-posted, here it is by itself. This extracted from a

chapter on collective control. A “CCEV” is an environmental variable

that corresponds closely to a perception controlled by all the members

of the collective.

We thus have at least three types of Collective Control in which all the

members act on the same CCEV as a means of controlling their own

perceptions.

1.   Conflicted Control: The participants have individually derived

reference values for perceptions whose CEVs are closely related to the

CCEV. The CCEV remains as if it corresponds to a controlled perception,

but the outputs of the individual controllers tend to increase as in any

conflict. Several people push on a rock, all wanting it in a different

place.

2.   Collaborative Control: The participants control a higher level set

of perceptions of belonging and being seen to belong to “the group�,

bringing their reference values for their perceptions of the CEVs that

combine to form the CCEV toward a common value, eliminating the conflict

while maintaining strong control. Several people push on a rock trying

to move it to a place on which they agree.

3.   Coordinated Control: All members who are controlling for

perceiving themselves and being perceived as belonging to the group

accept reference values provided by an agreed leader. Several people

push on a rock trying to get it to a place chosen by the leader.

In addition, there are at least three forms of Collective Control in

which the participants act on different aspects of the environment in

order to achieve a higher-level purpose — a reference value for thee

actual CCEV — all have in common, rather than all trying to influennce

the common CCEV in the same way. We will consider some of them in more

detail later.

4.   Guided Control: A plan, with or without a specific planner,

determines who does what (I’ll hold the pole while you hammer it into

the ground. I’ll get the supplies if you guys get the the tents put up.)

5.   Giant Real Control Unit: Different people or groups of people use

protocols in ways that mean that some play the roles of the different

units of a control unit (Sensors, Perceptual Function, Reference — the

CEO or the Commander —, Comparator, Output function, Effectors), soo that

the whole social structure acts as a controller. This concept is

elaborated in Chapter 26.

6.   Hierarchy of Social Control Units: Same as 5, with different

levels of controller interacting as in the Powers hierarchy for control

units within an organism.

These six forms of collective control are unlikely to be definitive, but

apart from the first form, they all achieve the power of increased loop

gain without the cost of conflict, except possibly during the process of

selecting a leader or otherwise developing the collective control structure.

Fred, I hope you get this version, without the commentary that

accompanied it the two previous times.

Martin

3

From Fred Nickols (2018.11.19.0645 ET)

Thanks, Martin, got it!

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Fred Nickols
Distance Consulting LLC
“Assistance at A Distance�
www.nickols.us