Swarming Behavior

Christian Jacob. “A decentralized system has several important advantages over a centralized one, most notably robustness and flexibility” and “What I find intriguing is the fact that very similar principles seem to apply to swarm-like systems regardless of scale" (thanks Weldon). Think about this within the context of a dynamically unstable world. Which system wins?

Comments

[mark safranski]

"Which system wins?"

Great question. It may hinge on who gets the opportunity to choose the battleground.

Centralized systems have many disadvantages - diseconomies of scale, inertia, information lag or distortion to name just a few. They do however have an important advantage - concentration. Be it resources or force they can bring an overwhelming intensity to bear.

If moral considerations are moot and you aren't counting spillover or other costs a centralized system can exterminate an opposition - Hiroshima/Nagasaki, Guatemala 1970's, Algeria 1990's, El Salvador and French IndoChina in the 1930's.

A reckless or severe enough path of destruction and you reset the game entirely in unexpected ways - the Black Death's depopulation of Western Europe dramatically shifted the relative values for land and labor in a way that fatally undermined serfdom. The Mongols forever changed the demographics of Persia and the political economies of Russia and the Islamic world.

Getting a centralized system to respond with that kind of unity of purpose and severity though is, ironically, very difficult.

[tim fong]

Mark are you looking at the Mongols as a centralized system?

[John Robb]

Guys, think in terms of the environments that decentralized systems do well in.

[mark safranski]

Oh, I agree with you John, I'd say the decentralized system holds a significant general edge over the centralized system in most scenarios. It's just at this particular logical extreme the advantage shifts - decentralized actors engaged in that kind of asymmetrical conflict need to avoid provoking a systemically overwhelming response that resets the rules. Asymmetry runs both ways.

Tim,

As a political system no, excepting the Yuan dynasty which was Sincized. As a military force yes and no. Depends on the perspective and what era of Mongols or Turco-Mongols.