The evolution of adaptive systems is governed by the law of the double pendulum, which defines the stage of a system and the needs that drive it toward the next stage.

The functionality of adaptive systems of any kind, whether living beings or artificial systems, is sustained by fulfilling four basic drivers at an operational level: expansion, contraction, security, and freedom.

This law was discovered and formalized by Peter Belohlavek at The Unicist Research Institute.

The Law of the Double Pendulum

The behavior of adaptive systems oscillates, with varying frequency, between expansion and contraction, and simultaneously between security and freedom, which drive the evolution of a system.

These drivers regulate the evolution of an adaptive system based on a double pendulum between expansion and contraction and between freedom and security.

The pendulum between expansion and contraction is exclusive, while the pendulum between freedom and security is inclusive, meaning that both coexist based on different values.

When the level of freedom increases, it immediately generates a requirement for security; when the level of security increases, it also generates a need for freedom. This dynamic causes the functionality of systems to evolve toward either evolution or involution. At an essential level, these principles operate differently.

Two complementary functionalities are needed to establish a stable system. On the one hand, there is an expansive function where the active function is driven by freedom, and an energy conservation function driven by security.

On the other hand, there is a contractive function where the active function is also driven by freedom, and the energy conservation function is driven by security. The double pendulum between expansion and contraction works continuously, transforming the functionality of the system into a fuzzy set that is continuously evolving.

When dealing with the intrinsic functionality of an adaptive system, the amplitude of the evolution tends to be minimal. When dealing with the extrinsic functionality, which addresses the use value of an adaptive system, the amplitude is broader.

The evolution of any adaptive system is driven by this double pendulum, which must be managed when there is a need to introduce changes in the system.

The Unicist Research Institute