> [!infobox] <s class="aside-in"><em>mentioned in 1 topic, 4 evergreens</em></s> #### <s class="topic-title">[[heterarchy]]</s> > [!wikipedia] [Heterarchy - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterarchy) > > A heterarchy is a system of [[organization]] where the elements of the organization are unranked (non-hierarchical) or where they possess the potential to be ranked a number of different ways. > > A heterarchy may be parallel to a [[hierarchy]], subsumed to a hierarchy, or it may contain hierarchies; the two kinds of structure are not mutually exclusive. > ^[[[Organization systems are not mutually exclusive]]] > In fact, each level in a hierarchical system is composed of a potentially heterarchical group which contains its constituent elements. > > The concept of heterarchy was first employed in a modern context by Warren McCulloch in 1945. As Carole L. Crumley has summarized, "[h]e examined alternative cognitive structure(s), the collective organization of which he termed heterarchy. He demonstrated that the human brain, while reasonably orderly was not organized hierarchically. > ^[[[A second brain should mirror how we think]]] > This understanding revolutionized the neural study of the brain and solved major problems in the fields of [[AI|artificial intelligence]] and computer design." **See**:: [[organization]], [[structure]], [[knowledge management]] ##### ^dataviews > [!dataview]+ Related unlinked notes > > - [[Do we think more naturally in hierarchy or heterarchy]] > [!dataview]- Other unlinked mentions > > - [[Densely linked webs of thought provide intuitive access to knowledge]] > - [[Webs of thought provide heterarchical structure]]