rules/regularities

>Knowledge and hence, >bimodal reality, consists of rules and regularities of systems. A rule is a functional relation of the "if-then" type, linking cause and effect, reason and consequence, signal and response etc. depending on the specific systems context.

Rules are bimodal with regularities. The evolution of systems leads to the emergence of regularities in terms of recurrent functional mechanisms in systems/environment interaction. If these regularities are stable in time, they carry knowledge that reflects the working of the VSR-mechanism and, hence, about systems performance in the given environment. These regularities can be described as rules by an hypothetical or real observer. So the rule is the knowledge embodied in system regularities. Hence, the bimodal relation between rule and regularity is reflected in the relation between meaning and function.

The concept is fundamental for EE analysis, because it links structure and performance. Since evolution means that everything always is in flow, the question is how regularities are generated by >structures, and how regularities reproduce structure. For example, an >institution can be described as a rule. This rule must not be fully known to the actors acting under the institution. EE explains how the actors' actions reproduce the institution in time. The resulting regularity can be described as structure in synchronic terms, although there is no fixed entity that may be identified as "structure".

As we see, the vast majority of rules is non-referential knowledge. Turning this into referential knowledge, is the main concern of science.

Semantic Field
bimodality
knowledge   structure
rules/regularities