General Theory of Living Systems

Full Title or Meme

In order to understand or design any successful, continuing digital ecosystem, there must first be a general theory of living systems that we can use a template to build such a theory.

Context

In 1978 James Grier Miller attempted a General Theory of Living systems

In 1979 Douglas Hofstadter started making the case for chunking and the use of fluid analogies in our own thought as a model for how computer networks should work. Analogies (which we make constantly, relentlessly and mostly unconsciously) are what allow categorization to happen. "Our minds are constructed with an unlimited quality for 'chunking' primordial concepts, which then become larger concepts." As an example the word "hub," as in "Denver is the hub for United Airlines," brings to mind a large linked network of concepts that are "chunked" together to make up the commonly used term. Other examples range from basics like "wheel" and "node" to higher-order concepts like "spoke" and "network." Higher-order concepts are assembled from lower-order concepts. He believes there no fundamental difference in thinking with basic concepts and very large concepts because we don't "see" inside them. We build concepts by putting several concepts together and putting a membrane around them and giving that a name. Kind of miraculously these [interior] concepts disappear into the named high-order concept.

In 2007 Cleland and Chyba wrote a chapter in Planets and Life: "In the absence of such a theory, we are in a position analogous to that of a 16th-century investigator trying to define 'water' in the absence of molecular theory." ... "Without access to living things having a different historical origin, it is difficult and perhaps ultimately impossible to formulate an adequately general theory of the nature of living systems"

Bayesian Identity Proofing provides the means for a collection of authentication and verification steps to be validated.

Solutions

Taxonomy of Levels of connected Systems

Level	Name	Typical use	User Experience
1	Chip	Management of Computer	Only by Administrators
2	Board Computer	Internet of Things	Room temperature or video surveillance
3	Single Processor Computer	Accessing Web Sites	Simple Queries of web
4	Multiple Processor Computer	Local processing & virtualization	Mobile or Desktop device that maintains user info
5	Data Center	Collection of computers in a single location	Only by Administrators
6	Cloud (single owner)	Social Network	Interaction of user searches and tracking
7	Internetwork of Clouds	Maintenance of Names	User cannot access desired resourced for security reasons

Grier's 19 "proceses" that work at all levels

The colored boxes highlight the ones that deal with energy or manner, not the primary focus of this presentation.

Nu	Name	Typical use	User Experience
1	ingestor	Management of Computer	Energy Matter
2	distributor	Internet of Things	Energy Matter
3	converter	Accessing Web Sites	Energy Matter
4	producer	Local processing & virtualization	Energy Matter
5	storage	Collection of computers in a single location	Energy Matter
6	extruder	Social Network	Energy Matter
7	motor	Maintenance of Names	Energy Matter
8	supporter	Management of Computer	Energy Matter
9	Board Computer	Internet of Things	Room temperature or video surveillance
10	Single Processor Computer	Accessing Web Sites	Simple Queries of web
11	Multiple Processor Computer	Local processing & virtualization	Mobile or Desktop device that maintains user info
12	Data Center	Collection of computers in a single location	Only by Administrators
13	Cloud (single owner)	Social Network	Interaction of user searches and tracking
14	Internetwork of Clouds	Maintenance of Names	User cannot access desired resourced for security reasons
15	Chip	Management of Computer	Only by Administrators
16	Board Computer	Internet of Things	Room temperature or video surveillance
17	Single Processor Computer	Accessing Web Sites	Simple Queries of web
18	Multiple Processor Computer	Local processing & virtualization	Mobile or Desktop device that maintains user info
19	Data Center	Collection of computers in a single location	Only by Administrators
20	Cloud (single owner)	Social Network	Interaction of user searches and tracking
7	Internetwork of Clouds	Maintenance of Names	User cannot access desired resourced for security reasons

ingestor, distributor, converter, producer, storage, extruder, motor, supporter The processors of information are: input transducer, internal transducer, channel and net, timer (added later), decoder, associator, memory, decider, encoder, output transducer.