[Martin Taylor 930616 19:30]
I think this discussion of social control might be helped by an insightful
quote from an old posting by Bruce Nevin...
Bruce Nevin (Thu 920709 09:13:52)
Coming at this from a different direction: the analogy is often made
between cooperation of cells in an organism and the social cooperation
of animals, including people. If this analogy were valid, it might work
like this:1. Each cell in an ECS can control itself using intracellular control
mechanisms such as ion exchange across membranes.2. A cell cannot control another cell with these mechanisms.
3. Yet cooperating cells can together constitute a control mechanism
of a higher order.4. This higher order of control is invisible to and does not itself
affect the constituent cells.5. However, chronic error in the higher-order control system is
perceived by the cells in the form of environmental factors that
are distressing to the cells.6. In consequence of such distress, the cells may alter their
relations with one another, while still controlling for inter-
cellular cooperation. This constitutes reorganization at the
higher order of control.7. One may substitute "person" for "cell" in propositions 1-6 (naming
appropriate mechanisms in proposition 1).Two questions:
Is (2) true of cells? Or can one cell truly control another (in
the same intra-cellular terms in which a cell controls itself)?Does the specialization of cells for cooperating functions have a
parallel in human differences of temperament, talent, etc., as well as
in educative specialization for social function?
I don't know whether Bruce would still own to this, but I like it.
Martin