TOWARD A CONSTRUCTIVE NOTION OF FUNCTIONALITY

This paper presents the beginnings of a constructive approach to the notion of functionality in the context of complex dynamic systems. The approach is developed within a general conceptual framework of systems of active components, called agents. Five notions of systemic structures are defined: material, dynamical, organizational, functional, and behavioral. The first four are analyzed and their relations to the fundamental notions of functional role, functional interaction, functional closure, systemic function, and general system function are explained. The most central notion of system teleonomy is briefly explained, and the connections between functionality, behavior, and teleonomy, as they may be seen from the perspective of the paper, are indicated.