[From Bruce Nevin (980805.1400 EDT => 989810.1415 EDT)]
Kent McClelland (980805.1045 CDT) --
If a control system desires an environment variable to be stable,
independent of desiring a particular value or course of values for that
variable, then the stability must be perceived (a perception about the
perception of the variable), and the perception of stability must be
controlled.
As stabilization comes about as an effect of conflict, the participants in
conflict might start to perceive stability. Once they perceive stability,
perhaps they might start to control that perception.
Assume controllers in some situation perceive the stability of a mutually
controlled variable, and that they control that perception of stability.
Control does not cease in the absence of stability (with error). Is a
perception of stability transferrable from one situation to another? From
one kind of perception to another? Where is it in the model's hierarchy?
One form of "perceiving stability" might be the satisfactions of successful
control. In that simplest case, does achieving control of stability amount
to reducing error? Nothing further needed, no perception of stability per se?
You surmise that conflictive controllers may perceive stability in a
variable that they control with error. Is this the experience that partial
control is better than no control? Not winning but not giving up either?
Have you convinced us of the existence of control in sense 1?
1. Stabilizing a perception (by stabilizing a controlled environmental
variable(CEV)). This process involves our acting to reduce the variation
in the CEV that would "normally" occur because of environmental
disturbances (including the actions of other people).
All I saw in your modelling exercises was the emergence of stability out of
conflict, much as rings and arcs emerge out of common goals of location. I
do not remember seeing control of stability.
What am I missing, Kent?
I confess that I have not yet read this version of your paper throughout. I
am relying on recollection of your presentations in Vancouver. Should I
wait until I have studied the paper?
Bruce Nevin