  Complexity Pages
A non-technical introduction to the
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 Victor MacGill
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A
Glossary of Terms
used
in Chaos and Complexity from http:// www.calresco.org Search this site |
Autonomy and
connectivity
Autonomy is the need for an individual to maintain themselves and determine their own actions. An autonomous individual will operate without being unduly controlled by external influences. It has a separate identity, distinct from the environment in which it finds itself. An autonomous organism is able to maintain its boundary, or boundaries itself, taking in the energy it needs to survive and repel anything that might be a threat to its existence. We cannot survive by just being autonomous. We do not live separately from the environment about us. All our actions occur within an environment and we are defined by it. We need such things as food, air, warmth, and companionship to maintain ourselves. Our connectedness to our environment and our relationships with others are therefore crucial to our lives. Our connectivity is just as important as our autonomy. Just as order and chaos form a pair of dancing partners, so does autonomy and connectivity. We need both. We must be separate and individual and yet at the same time connected and linked into our world. Each of us has conflicting and competing individual desires in a constant battle to maintain the dynamic balance between autonomy and connectivity in our lives. It is a bit like a tightrope walker who cannot just find the balance point and walk. Sometimes the pole dips a little more to one side or the other and the walker must constantly restore the balance. The tightrope walker’s dynamic control over the pole enables them to walk safely along the rope. |
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