The document discusses the concept of a "sustainability holarchy" as an alternative framework for analyzing sustainability and complexity. It proposes that viewing sustainability through a holarchical lens can help address some of the limitations of traditional mechanistic models. Specifically: - A sustainability holarchy views the entities involved in sustainability as a nested hierarchy of holons, with deeper holons built upon and containing elements of shallower holons. This provides a more integrated view compared to traditional models. - Analyzing sustainability holarchically focuses on the differentiation and integration relationships between holons, rather than individual systems. This allows for a truly horizontal and integrated analysis. - Pathologies in the holarchy, and threats

1. Seminario – Complejidad, Medio Ambiente, Educación
Catedra UNESCO de Educación Ambiental y Desarrollo
Sostenible
Alcoy, 14,15,16 Septiembre 2006
Mas allá de la complejidad: Holoarquia
de la sostenibilidad
Rodrigo Jiliberto
TAU Consultora Ambiental, España
rjiliberto@taugroup.com

2. • Complejidad y sostenibilidad
• El arranque epistemológico
• La holoarquía de la
sostenibilidad
• El potencial analítico
• La realidad de que da cuenta
La narrativa
la holoarquía

3. • Sostenibilidad como objeto de
política es simple
• La complejidad emerge con el
objeto de conocimiento que
informa la decisión
• La complejidad se deriva de
tener que construir un objeto de
análisis en el que
Complejidad y
sostenibilidad
necesariamente confluyen
diversos lenguajes analíticos
estancos

4. • Pareciera que la complejidad
consiste en que el objeto de
análisis está indeterminado
• De facto el problema es que el
objeto de análisis no se puede
constituir
• Se trata de una pseudo
Complejidad y complejidad
sostenibilidad

5. • La pseudo complejidad se
deriva de la pulsión a decir la
sostenibilidad desde el
conocimiento científico-
analítico-empiricista
• Esto responde a la pulsión por
mantener el modelo de decisión
Complejidad y
manipulativo-predictivo para el
sostenibilidad cual las ciencia estandar es
básico

6. • Una lectura alternativa del
mensaje de integración que
supone la sostenibilidad es que
deseamos revisar nuestro
modelo de desarrollo humano
trascendiendo el modelo de
decisión manipulativo-predictivo
Complejidad y
sostenibilidad

7. • Apostar por modelos
orientados a gestionar la
contingencia, modelos
destinados a reabrir el diálogo
entre sistemas, entre sociedad
y naturaleza. Se trata de
modelos heurísticos,
contingentes, enactivos y
Complejidad y participados
sostenibilidad

8. • Los modelos heurísticos,
contingentes, enactivos y
participados implican
descripciones a las cuales los
conceptos de incertidumbre y
complejidad le resultan ajenos,
pues no aspiran a la
certidumbre, ni tiene un
fundamento universalista y
Complejidad y
sostenibilidad representacionalista del
conocimiento

9. • El modelo holoárquico
materializa una epistemología
heurística, contingente, enactiva
y participada para construcción
de objetos de conocimiento cuya
supuesta complejidad se deriva
de la necesidad de considerar
simultáneamente lenguajes
Complejidad y analíticos irreductibles
sostenibilidad

10. • ¿Qué implica el afán de
sostenibilidad en términos
analíticos?
El arranque
epistemológico de
la holoarquía

11. • La respuesta tradicional:
• Integración de objetos
analíticos ya existentes en una
unica unidad analítica
• Esto se obtiene mediante la
identificación, medición y
evaluación (paradigma empiricista) de
sus relaciones exteriores de
El arranque dependencia mutuas (sistemismo
epistemológico de lato)
la holoarquía

12. Objetos de análisis ontológicamente
independientes
U
M7. n
TERRITORIAL
M3. La sostenibilidad se alcanza
ocupation model
ST RUCTURE M5. R+D,
PRODUCT IV ITY ,
QUA LIFICA TION
i
d
URBANIZAT ION territorial developments
urbanization
cuando se obtiene un externalities
confidence
a
framework knowledge d
equilibrio de realimetnación
externalities
M8.
confidence / framework
M4. IDENT IT Y,
M1. T ERRIT ORY
INST ITUT IONAL VA LUES, d
OCUPATION
entre las entidades
externalities
FRA MEWORK
identity / framework
ENTERPRENEURSHIP
e
consideradas competitivity
individual A
qualification
externalities land uses enterpreneurship
n
M6-1.
M2. W ATER
Esta es la idea detras del
availability
COMPETIT IV ITY
confidence / framework
á
l
concepto de umbral límite demand
M6-2.
ENTERPRISES
i
s
i
El modelo s
Relaciojnes de realimentación
mecánico

13. Las limitaciones del modelo mecánico
•Teórico: carencia de una teoría del
todo
• Metodológica: carencia de guías
analíticas adecuadas
• Operativas: carencia de unidades de
medida homogeneas
Valor añadido epistemológico difuso:
Las limitaciones
del modelo Promesa cognitiva no cumplida
mecánico
Racionalidad procedimental infundada-
no hay estado de cosas que sea el caso

14. •El afán de integración que supone
la sostenibilidad significa,
analíticamente, alcanzar una visión
integrada en la base de nuestro
mundo
•El primer paso consiste en
alcanzar una visión integrada de
esa entidad que como totalidad
subyace a nuestro mundo y que
El arranque
epistemológico de como tal debe ser sostenible
la holoarquía

15. Para construir esa
entidad se requiere una
espistemología
autónoma de la de los
elementos proto
constituyentes de la
sostenibilidad
(economía, sociedad,
El arranque ambientes, etc)
epistemológico de
la holoarquía

16. Esto significa que los conocimientos
estándares que disponemos de lo
económico, lo social, lo ecológico y
ambiental, y de otros sistemas
proto-constitutivos de la
sostenibilidad, no es lo que
necesitamos saber cuando
intentamos construir un objeto de
conocimiento denominado
sostenibilidad
El arranque Ellos nos remiten inexorablemente a
epistemológico de entidades ontológicamente
la holoarquía
separadas

17. Es preciso trascender el modelo
input-output mecánico y dotar al
conjunto de una lógica unitaria
de la cual surga una totalidad a
la cual se le pueda formular la
cuestión de su sostenibilidad
Es preciso describir nuestro mundo
como una totalidad compuesta de
unidades en jerarquía es decir
Dejando emerger
como una holoarquía
la emergencia
Holon: totalidad que es parte de una
unidad mayor

18. Depth The
sustainability
holarchy
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
SOCIAL WELFARE
GOVERNANCE
POLICIES
KNOWLEDGE
INSTITUTIONS
ORDER
TERRITORY
CITIES
ECONOMY
BIOSPHERE
SUSTENANCE
PHYSIOSPHERE
Surface-Extension

19. •Holons have a given extension and depth, which
fix their location within the holarchy
•Holons exist in a mutual ontological
interdependency. The deeper holons grow on the
ground built by the lower holons. Lower holons
health depend on the cooperation/integration
capacity of the upper holons
•Deeper holons contains elements of all less
deep holons
Holarchical •Less deep holons do not contain elements of the
axiomatic higher holons
principles (I)
•The higher located holons increase the
complexity of the holarchy; the lower located ones
increase its basis

20. Institutions
Differentiation
Economy /Subordination
Relationships
Integration
/Cooperation
Biosphere Languages
Relationships
Each holon has as many differentiation
relationships as holons are below it
Holarchical Each holon has as many subordination
relationships relationships as holons are above it

21. •Differentiation means in this context to develop
the capability to go beyond the basis on which the
holon is based, to transcend it.
•Differentiation process are triggered by the
development of specific languages
•The differentiation process is always a process of
deepening the identity of the holon: e.g.
the creed of the institutional holon:
•I recognise the regional physiosphere and the
biosphere as my natural context but what I am
Holarchical does not depend on it
axiomatic
principles (II)
•I recognise the regional economy as my financial
basis but what I am does not depend on it
•I recognise cities and the territory as my spatial
context but what I am does not depend on it

22. Institutional
realisations (2)
Institutions
Economics
realisation (1)
Economy
Sustenance
functions Realization
functions
Biosphere
Each holon has as many realization functions as holons
Holarchical are below it
functions
Each holon has as many sustenance functions as
holons are above it

23. •The state of each relationship and function in the
holarchy is dynamically determined by the state of
all relationships and functions in the holarchy
•The differentiation process is the driving force of
holarchy’s development
•Differentiation languages are considered so far as
exogenous factors, as the inputs for the lowest
holon
•Realizations at all holons can be either considered
as material for the sustenance processes within the
Holarchical
axiomatic holarchy or as exogenous input to other holarchies
principles (III) •The realization at the highest holon can be
considered as the negentropy the holarchy is
capable to produce

24. Lack of subordination
Institutional
realisations (2)
Institutions
Realization
Sustenance crises
crises
Economics
realisation (1)
Lack of Economy Lack of
cooperation differentiation
Holarchical
pathologies Biosphere
and
sustainability
crises Lack of integration

25. •Holarchical pathologies appear because of
not fully developed differentiation processes
along the holarchical pyramid
•Not fully developed differentiation processes
up stream in the holarchical pyramid generate
lack of integration/cooperation processes down
stream the pyramid
•Lack of integration/cooperation processes
down stream weaken the sustenance
Holarchical capability of the holarchy and the realizations
axiomatic at all holons
principles (IV)
•Weak sustenance and realization capacities
limit the potential for stronger differentiation
processes

26. Institutional
realisations (2)
Institutions
Sustainability
potential
Economics
realisation (1)
Economy
Biosphere
Differentiation/Subordination Relationships
Holarchical Integration/Cooperation Relationships
sustainability Sustenance function
potential Realization function

27. Ultimately, the analysis of
sustainability would consist in the
analysis of the state of
development of the capacity for
differentiation and integration that
governs the totality of the
hierarchical pyramid
Chapter three: is
there a happy end?

28. •The holarchical paradigm put in place an
effective integrated horizontal analysis
among the standard analytically fragmented
systems
•There are no sectoral question, all analytical
questions are by definition horizontal
•It doesn’t matter the economy as such, but
its degree of differentiation from the natural
environment, its level of subordination and
integration from the cities, institutions,
Beyond the policies, and values, its capacity to
fragmentary
analysis cooperate with the biosphere and the
physiosphere, an so on.

29. Potentials/Dimensions Systemic Holarchical
Autopoietic The holon The holon cooperates
differentiates
Identity The holon develops The holon develops
differentiations cooperation languages
languages
Reciprocity The holon develops The holon develops
subordination integration languages
languages
Cohesion The holon is The holon is
integrated subordinated
Cooperative The holon is sustained The holon sustains
Creative The holon is produced The holon reproduces
Potenciales holoárquicos

30. Depth
The sustainability
holarchy at the Murcia
Region in Spain
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
SOCIAL WELFARE
GOVERNANCE
KNOWLEDGE
POLICIES
INSTITUTIONS
TERRITORY
CITIES
ECONOMY
BIOSPHERE
PHYSIOSPHERE
Surface-Extension

31. •Well differentiated biosphere, economic,
institutional and urban holons
•Poor differentiation level at the policy, governance
and value holons
•Low subordination level of the economy and
institutional holons by the upper holons implies a
low cooperation level down stream
•Critical situation at territory, biosphere and
physiosphere holons
Main •Certain degree of alienation of the knowledge
holarchical holon from holarchy dynamic
dynamics
in the
•Poor sustenance from institutional, policy and
Murcia knowledge holons to the development of
case governance, value and personal development
holons

32. The analysis reveals the
guiding systemic (cybernetic?)
principle of the holarchy
It reveals its structuring pattern
Chapter four: is
something out there?

33. M7.
TERRITORIAL
ST RUCTURE M5. R+D,
M3. PRODUCT IV ITY ,
ocupation model
URBANIZAT ION territorial developments
QUA LIFICA TION
externalities
urbanization confidence
framework knowledge
But from a holarchical
externalities
confidence / framework
M4. IDENT IT Y,
M1. T ERRIT ORY M8.
OCUPATION
view point all system
externalities
INST ITUT IONAL
FRA MEWORK
identity / framework
VA LUES,
ENTERPRENEURSHIP
are already each other competitivity
qualification individual
externalities
embeded
land uses
M6-1. confidence / framework
enterpreneurship
COMPETIT IV ITY
availability
M2. W ATER
demand
M6-2.
ENTERPRISES
The reality standard system
models address