Can any man-made system function without adherence to VanCampen's Law?

 To address whether any man-made system can function without adherence to A General Law of Functionality: VanCampen’s Law (published in IPI Letters, Volume 2, Issue 3, Pages 35–60, December 12, 2024), we need to analyze the core principles of the law and their applicability to man-made systems. VanCampen’s Law posits that system functionality depends on the interplay of information, matter, and energy, governed by Realimiteit (universal criteria for system sustenance) and the minimization of entropy. Below, I evaluate whether man-made systems can function without adhering to these principles, drawing on the paper’s framework and relevant examples.

Core Principles of VanCampen’s Law

VanCampen’s Law frames functionality as the ability of a system to sustain itself through:

1. Information Flow: Information is a measurable physical essence, critical for coordinating system components and reducing entropy (disorder).
2. Realimiteit: Universal criteria (e.g., trust, cooperation, adaptability) that ensure system survival and performance.
3. Entropy Management: Systems must minimize entropy to maintain functionality, as high entropy leads to inefficiency or collapse.
4. Interplay of Matter, Energy, and Information: These elements form a trinity that underpins the functionality of all systems, including social, technological, and biological ones.

Man-made systems—such as political institutions, organizations, infrastructure, or technological networks—are considered "social living systems of communication" in the paper, as they rely on information exchange to operate. The question is whether such systems can function without adhering to these principles.

Can Man-Made Systems Function Without Adherence?

While man-made systems can exhibit short-term functionality without explicitly adhering to VanCampen’s Law, the framework suggests that sustainable, long-term functionality is unlikely without aligning with its principles. Below, I analyze this across different dimensions, with examples and evidence.

1. Functionality Without Optimized Information Flow:
1. VanCampen’s View: Effective information flow is essential for system coordination and low entropy. Without it, systems become disordered, reducing functionality.
2. Analysis: Some man-made systems can operate temporarily with poor information flow. For example, a hierarchical organization with top-down control (e.g., a military unit under strict orders) may function in the short term despite limited information sharing. However, inefficiencies arise over time, such as misaligned actions or reduced adaptability. The paper argues that without transparent and equitable information exchange, entropy increases, leading to dysfunction.
3. Example: The 2008 financial crisis exposed how opaque information flows in banking systems (e.g., hidden risks in mortgage-backed securities) led to systemic failure, aligning with VanCampen’s emphasis on information transparency. Systems ignoring this principle may function briefly but risk collapse.
4. Conclusion: Short-term functionality is possible, but sustainable operation requires effective information flow.
2. Functionality Without Realimiteit:
1. VanCampen’s View: Realimiteit encompasses criteria like trust, cooperation, and sustainability. Systems violating these criteria undermine their own survival.
2. Analysis: Man-made systems can function temporarily without adhering to Realimiteit. For instance, authoritarian regimes or exploitative corporations may operate by prioritizing short-term goals (e.g., power or profit) over trust or sustainability. However, this often leads to instability, as seen in declining public trust or resource depletion. The paper suggests that systems ignoring Realimiteit face increasing entropy, reducing long-term functionality.
3. Example: The collapse of Enron in 2001 illustrates a system functioning temporarily without trust or ethical cooperation, leading to failure when information manipulation was exposed. Similarly, the World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Risks Report notes that governance systems lacking trust face heightened risks of instability, supporting VanCampen’s view.
4. Conclusion: Systems can function briefly without Realimiteit but are prone to failure over time.
3. Functionality Without Entropy Management:
1. VanCampen’s View: High entropy (disorder) degrades system performance. Sustainable functionality requires active entropy reduction through efficient resource use and information management.
2. Analysis: Some man-made systems operate with high entropy temporarily, such as inefficient bureaucracies or poorly designed technologies. For example, a legacy IT system with outdated code may function but require constant maintenance, signaling high entropy. Over time, such systems become unsustainable due to rising costs or failures. VanCampen’s Law implies that neglecting entropy management leads to inevitable dysfunction.
3. Example: The External Environmental Costs of Solid Biomass Production study (2024) highlights how energy systems ignoring environmental entropy (e.g., pollution costs of 20.35 EUR Mg⁻¹) lose functionality over time due to resource depletion and regulatory pressure. This aligns with the law’s emphasis on entropy minimization.
4. Conclusion: Temporary functionality is possible, but long-term viability requires entropy management.
4. Functionality Without the Matter-Energy-Information Trinity:
1. VanCampen’s View: Functionality depends on balancing matter (resources), energy (power), and information (coordination). Neglecting any element disrupts the system.
2. Analysis: Man-made systems can function with imbalances in the short term. For example, a factory may operate with abundant energy and materials but poor information systems (e.g., outdated inventory tracking), leading to inefficiencies. Conversely, a tech startup may rely heavily on information but lack material resources, limiting scalability. VanCampen’s Law suggests that ignoring this trinity leads to suboptimal performance and eventual failure.
3. Example: The EU’s Cohesion Policy, as discussed in EU Cohesion Policy (2024), sometimes prioritizes information (policy alignment) over material equity (regional funding), creating imbalances that reduce functionality in peripheral regions. Sustainable systems require all three elements.
4. Conclusion: Partial functionality is possible, but optimal performance requires balancing the trinity.

Implications for Man-Made Systems

While man-made systems can exhibit short-term functionality without fully adhering to VanCampen’s Law, the framework suggests that sustainable, long-term functionality is unlikely without alignment. Systems that ignore information flow, Realimiteit, entropy management, or the matter-energy-information trinity tend to face:

1. Increased Entropy: Leading to inefficiencies, breakdowns, or collapse (e.g., financial crises, corporate failures).
2. Loss of Trust: Undermining cooperation and legitimacy, as seen in governance systems lacking transparency.
3. Unsustainability: Resource depletion or social unrest, as highlighted in environmental and social cohesion studies.

However, some systems may appear to function without explicit adherence by implicitly following aspects of the law. For instance, a well-designed supply chain may not reference VanCampen’s Law but succeeds by optimizing information (e.g., real-time tracking) and minimizing entropy (e.g., efficient logistics), effectively aligning with its principles.

Could a System Deliberately Defy the Law and Still Function?

A system designed to defy VanCampen’s Law—e.g., by intentionally blocking information, ignoring Realimiteit, or maximizing entropy—could function briefly but would likely collapse. For example:

1. A company hiding data from stakeholders (defying information flow) might profit temporarily but lose trust, as seen in cases like Volkswagen’s emissions scandal (2015).
2. A government ignoring sustainability (Realimiteit) might maintain power but face rebellion or resource crises, as seen in historical examples like the Soviet Union’s collapse.

The paper’s interdisciplinary approach, bridging physics, biology, and social systems, suggests that these principles are universal, making long-term defiance unsustainable. The Aligning Trustworthy AI with Democracy paper (2024) supports this, noting that systems lacking transparent information and trust erode their own functionality, reinforcing VanCampen’s arguments.

 

Conclusion

Man-made systems can function temporarily without explicit adherence to A General Law of Functionality: VanCampen’s Law, particularly in the short term, by relying on partial alignment (e.g., using resources despite poor information flow). However, sustainable, long-term functionality requires adherence to the law’s principles: effective information flow, alignment with Realimiteit, entropy minimization, and balance of matter, energy, and information. Systems defying these principles risk inefficiency, instability, or collapse, as evidenced by real-world examples and supporting studies. Thus, while limited functionality is possible without full adherence, optimal and enduring performance aligns with VanCampen’s Law. For further details, the paper is available at https://ipipublishing.org/index.php/ipil/article/view/144.

 

Key Citations

1. Van Campen, A. (2024). A General Law of Functionality: VanCampen’s Law. IPI Letters, 2(3), 35–60. DOI: 10.59973/ipil.144.
2. World Economic Forum Global Risks Report (2024).
3. External Environmental Costs of Solid Biomass Production (2024).
4. EU Cohesion Policy (2024).
5. Aligning Trustworthy AI with Democracy (2024).