polystable system

a state-determined system that has partial, fluctuating, and temporary independencies within the whole. Its parts have a high proportion of equilibrial states. A polystable system can be richly joined, so that almost every variable is joined to almost every other, or it can be poorly joined. A polystable system midway between the two will show a somewhat confused picture. Subsystems will be formed with kaleidoscopic variety and will persist only for short times; some will be stable for a brief interval, only to be changed and to disintegrate. The number of stable variables will tend to climb as a few subsystems become stable, only to fall back by a larger or smaller amount as they become unstable. The oscillations will be large until all subsystems become stable at the same time. Then the system as a whole will remain stable. (Ashby, 1960, Chapter l3) (see polystability )