Symbiology In Architecture?

http://www.contemplativemind.org/splinter.html

I found it interesting that the term symbiology would be used in modern architecture, but upon reflection it does make perfect sense. Architectural design, after all, involves humans living together, often with pets and so forth. But from building design to community design, the "study of organisms living together" must be central to planning I would think.

Credit Zook

http://www.bu.edu/bridge/archive/2003/02-14/symbiol.htm

Upon reading this article, it occurred to me that Symbiology should be dedicated to Dr. Douglas Zook, for his emphasis on the need for its study. It was first mentioned much earlier, in truth, in Read CP 1970. Parasitism and Symbiology, Ronald Press Co., New York.

Of course, it is also necessary to credit Dr. Lynn Margulis as well, for her contributions to the field. And numerous others such as those who discovered and continue to explore hydrothermal vent communities, at great risk, and so on and so on.... http://www.botos.com/marine/vents01.html

I must also thank my professors throughout college who have given me insight and knowledge and a resolve for the truths of the natural world. This web log wouldn't have been possible without these.

Symbiosis and Complex Homeostasis

http://www.winwenger.com/homstas.htm

In this article, Dr. Win Wenger describes the importance of balance in nature in complex homeostasis. He contends that once you understand basic systems behavior, you come to understand so much else about the natural world around you. Here he describes systems as being complexly homeostatic: that is, they are systems maintaining multiple equilibria at multiple levels. This is a concept seen in symbioses.

He emphasizes the importance of complex homeostasis for critical consideration in the field of medicine, describes direct applications for it, and details how important systems education is early on in its understanding. This is also a call of the wild for scientists working in a variety of areas to consider how complexly homeostatic their own problem is. I contend that Symbiology is worthy of this consideration under the merits I've previously described, in addition to justifications yet to come. This is merely a budding field after all.

If one assumes that symbioses always involve a sharing of at least one resource (food or space in time), then the host and its guest must make coordinated accomodations of balance in order to maintain a close association with each other. Otherwise, one has competed only to be competed against later, as seen in the Prisoners Dilemma. Under this simple homeostatic model, an equilibrium is reached as we've seen. "Tit-for-tat" is operating in symbioses, from parasites to mutualisms.

In real life, symbioses are complexly homeostatic. For simplicities sake, I will assume them to be simple homeostatic, unless specifying otherwise in the case of examples. Here I am dealing with symbiology and thus, organisms living closely together and assuming to share at least one resource, making the math models easier to understand.

Other Dr. Win Wenger works are here...
http://www.winwenger.com/winwin.htm Win-Win/ Incentive Equilibrium Analysis
http://www.winwenger.com/string.htm In String Theory
http://www.winwenger.com/ideagen.htm Idea Generator

Prisoner's Dilemma, The Game

Prisoner's Dilemma, The Game

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/playground/pd.html

This "game" is a fun exercise in homeostatic mechanisms. When the option of compete/cooperate is given, select variants of each and assume each variant to represent an individual "symbiont" strategy for survival and Serendip as the "host". You are both attempting to compete for a limiting supply of resources (coins). The host and symbiont (you) are bound to cooperative balance, but neither option is necessarily preferable, in theory. In fact, when you try to trick Seredip, you always end up getting spited.

This is a model feedback loop. Zero is never reached, but as either opponent attempts to capitalize, they find they are returned the favor. There is a feedback to your moves, in that your opponent is "conditioned" to adjust accordingly. The thermostat model is an everyday example here: http://physioweb.med.uvm.edu/homeostasis/simple.htm

Understanding symbiology requires a general understanding of feedback loops.