Newsletter of the / American Society for Cybernetics I Roger Conant. Editor 11\, ~ 1108 SEO. UICC Box 4348 Chicago. IL 60680 312+996-2308

Number 12, September 28, 1981

The address of the ASC is: 2131 G St. N.w., Washington DC 20052

OBSERVATIONS ON 5TH INT. CONGRESS OF CYBERNETICS AND SYSTEMS, MEXICO CITY National Plannin~

AUGUST 17-22, 1981 by Charles Fink National Social System The World Organization of General Systems and Cybernetics moved its triennial world congress to Mexico City this year in an National Analysis IC-~ effort to transfer systems and cybernetics knowledge to developing countries, Mexico in particular. Scientists from 26 coun­ In discussion it was brought out that lit­ tries, mainly European and North and Cen­ tle else other than impasse might have tral American, presented papers and con­ been expected from having a national plan­ ducted group sessions trying to address ning effort superimposed from outside on a the conditions and problems of developing self-regulating system. countries. There was always a high per­ centage of Mexican scientists and adminis­ Among the social scientists and adminis­ trators among the conferees, who appeared trators there seemed to be an undercurrent to total at least 300 persons. of skepticism about the usefulness of social planning models based on quantita­ The social systems section generated more tive methodology. In one panel discussion than average interest, judging from the even the place of predictive modeling attendance at its sessions, and this re­ within the world of systems was questioned port will focus mainly on this part of the as something beyond the classic notion of congress. The other sections ranged modeling bodies regulating themselves across the expected wide spectrum of sys­ mainly here and now and with only modest tems and cybernetics concerns, with gen­ feedforward. The largest amount of social erally high quality, empirically based modeling time was spent on a qualitative papers. Unfortunately, a high percentage methodology presented by a German scien­ of authors did not appear to present their tist. ~ith this technique a first draft material in person. mode l was turned over to Mexican scien- (Cont. on page 2) A leader in national planning for an Eastern Bloc nation surprised the social systems section by acknowledging nothing but failure in 20 years of trying to apply operations research methodology to social planning for his country. He drew this BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WHITE PAGES OF diagram in overview of ~hat they had tried to do: THIS NEHSLETTER FOR YOUR COPY OF THE

OCTOBER CONFERENCE PROGRAM ! -2."- Cont. frorn page 1 -- 41 tists present for further developrnent as examined. Both the content of the da\ they see fit. A model and empirical para­ sought and the process by ~hich data are digm for political bodies as "nested sys­ collected must be reconsidered in light of tems" also received spirited attention . this new goal. The focus will be on new Still, the problems of developing coun­ approaches already being implemented with tries were left largely unresolved, in particular emphasis on those groups with sum . the greatest degree of interaction ~ith the health care syste~ such as children, Among the authors there were several names the aging, and those with long term disa­ and faces new to, or not before recognized bilities. in, the systems movement.

Proceedings of the congress are being prepared by the lead host for the congress . Questions about the proceedings, THE ASC FORUH may be addressed in English or Spanish to: Asociacion Mexicana de Sistemas y Ciber­ by Roger Conant netica; Antonio Sola No. 43; Colonia Condesa; Mexico 11, D.F.; Mexico . At the conference in Haine this summer there was considerable discussion about the finances of the ASC (in a nutshell, last year we took in $5000 and spent AAAS SYHPOSIU~1: COm1UNICATION \viTH PATIENTS $6000, have assets of $4000 and liabili­ ties about $7000, and the chief financial strain on the Society is the Forum which The AAAS meeting in Washington in January curre ntly absorbs almost all of our in­ will include a symposium led by ASC member come. The Newsletter costs nothing.) This ~1ark Ozer, entitled "Communication with rapidly led to a discussion of the Forum Patients Leading to Health Enhancement." and how it might be modified so as to max­ A synopsis of the symposium follows: imize the benefits we get from it while minimizing the costs. A number of innova­ The recent report of the Surgeon General tive, even radical suggestions came up has focussed on health enhancement as a there. Stu Umpleby has appointed Vadim major goal of the health care system for Drozin - the editor of the Forum, Jon Cun­ the remainder of the century. Coincident nyngham - a very entertairring and creative with this effort has been an increasing economist, and me as a committee to work concern about the effectiveness of more on the issue. We will hold an open meet­ traditional modes of delivery of health ing at the ASC conference to discuss the care and awareness of the limits to the matter. Piease come, or if you are unable resources available. Existing concepts to attend please write down your sugges ­ for health enhancement have focussed on tions and send them to one of us. changes in diet, exercise and other as­ pects of living on the part of patients. This symposium will deal with the more basic aspects of the interaction of the professional and patient. The charac­ teristics of a health care system organ­ ASC BOOKS NOW READY ized for health enhancement will be ex­ plored that ~ould lead to resource development increased capability cf Good news! The Ashby and Von Foerster patients to be resources in their own books have been completed and a few health care. What are the characteristics will be on display at the October con­ of the information collection procedures ference. Mechanisms of Intelligence con­ in use between patients and professionals? tains papers written by Ross Ashby, and What are the characteristics of the plan­ Observing Systems is a collection of ning and decision-making procedures? Ho~ papers by Heinz Von Foerster. To order can these basic technique~ be modified so copies, write to Intersystems Publica­ as to bring about an increase in resources tions, P.O. Box 624, Seaside , CA 93955. on the part of patients? The quality of the present modes of interaction will be ~

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CYBERNETICS IN THE SOVIET UNION PROGRAMHING AND COMPUTER THEORY Computer theory. Mathematical que­ stions in the construction of compu­ ters. Theory and methods of program­ Since 1964 a journal called Cybernetics ming languages. Automatie programming. Abstracts has been published monthly by Programs and algorithms for solving Scie ntific Information Consultants Ltd., various problems on computers. 661 Finchley Road, London NW2 2HN Eng­ l a nd. It consists of the English trans­ MA THE}~TICAL MODELLING OF THOUGHT PRü• lation of Referativnyy zhurnal KIBERNE­ CESSES TIKA. The titles of all the papers in General teaching theory. Programmed the Russian original, regardless of instruction. Pattern recognition by country origi~are translated with the means of computer and other devices. abstracts translated in full for articles Algorithmization of the creative acti­ originally published in a ny language vity of Man. Mathematical description other than English, French, or German. and modelling of neuron networks and The articles are always arranged accord­ the brain. Behavioural games and pro­ ing to the same outline. This outline, blems, given below, suggests how cybernetics is thought of in the Soviet Union. HATHEMATICAL LINGUISTICS Syntactic study of sign systems. In­ PART I. THEORETICAL CYBERNETICS terpretation of sign systems by content. Logic-algebra and set-theoretical mo­ THEORY OF LOGICAL SYSTEMS dels of languages and linguistic struc­ Modelling of logical systems. Coding tures. Other language models. Langua­ theory. Automata. Network theory. ge semantics. Artificial languages. Functional systems. Reliability Theo­ Machine translation. Programming lan­ ry. Mathematical logic. Conversion guages used in machine translation. rules in various systems. PART II. ENGINEERING CYBERNETICS INFORHATION THEORY Entropy. Information theory. Asymp­ GENERAL TOPICS totic theorems of optimal coding. Organisation of scientific research in Calculation of information-theoretical cybernetics. Relations between re­ characteristics of real channels and s earch and production. Textbooks. Re­ messages. Methods of sequential en­ ference books. Bibliographies. coding and decoding. Algebraic theory of error-correcting codes. Methods of THEORY OF AUTOHATIC CONTROL AND SERVO­ coding in continuous channels. SYSTEMS Linear deterministic systems. Nonli­ OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND HATHEHATICAL n e ar systems. Statistical dynamics of ECONOMICS a utomatic control and servosystems. Utility theory. Decision theory. The­ Ex perimental methods for studying the ory of games. Optimal programming. characteristics of plant, regulation Linear programming and applications. and control systems. Adjustment me­ Quadratic programming. Convex program­ thods for automatic control and servo­ ming. Concave programming. Dynamic s ystems. programming. Theory of mathematic­ economic models. Equilibrium models. THEORY OF CYBERNETIC (DETERHINISTIC AND Simulation of various economic aspects. STATISTICAL) CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR TECH­ Queuing theory. Inventory control the­ NICAL PROCESSES ory. Scheduling theory. Applications Optimal systems. Extremal systems. of operations research. PERT. Self-adjusting systems. Self-learning systems. Self-organizing systems. TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE THEORY OF COMPUTERS AND FINITE AUTOMATA Identical conversions of logic-algebra of technical cybernetics in social functional relations and their applica­ sciences, physics, chernistry and other tion to the analysis and synthesis of sciences. Application in planning and logical systerns. Autornation of the control of production processes in va­ analysis and synthesis of logical struc­ rious branches of industry, econorny, tures. Modelling of logical systerns. rnedicine, cornrnerce, transportation. Relay circuits. Deterrninistic autorna­ Military applications. ta. Stochastic autornata.

TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS OF RELIABILITY THEORY TO PROBLEMS IN THE ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS OF CYBERNETIC SYSTEMS Quantitative characteristics of relia­ MISCELLANEOUS BITS AND PIECES bility and effectiveness. Methods for optirnizing the reliability of cyberne­ tic systerns. Reliability of Man-Machi­ To date there have been exactly three ne systerns. On-line control. Fault responses indicating interest in a comput­ diagnosis and prediction of technical er network for ASC members (and others) state of cybernetic systerns. Fast re­ wishing to communicate about cybernetics liability tests. Devices for on-line (see the Newsletter, June issue), from control, fault diagnosis and prediction. Alan Blair, Stu Umpleby, and Bob Boynton . Judging from the response,this is an idea TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS OF PROBABILISTIG whose time has no~ yet come. AND STATISTICAL METHODS, INFORMATION THEORY, OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND GAMES THEORY When Charles Fink was at .the Mexico City Pattern recognition. Applications of conference he discussed, at Stu's request, coding theory. Transmission of signals the possible affiliation of the ASC with in the presence of noise. Optimal and the WOGSC (World Organization of General correcting codes. Reading autornata and Systems and Cybernetics.) That organiza­ other devices for visual inforrnation tion, and Charles Fink as well, strongly recognition. Devices for audio-signal approve of the affiliation. This will be and speech recognition. Statistical one of the topics discussed at the busi­ rnodelling. Algorithrnization of pattern ness meeting to be held during the upcom­ recognition processes. ing ASC conference.

CYBERNETIC METHODS FOR THE INVESTIGATION OF ERGONOMie , BIOLOGICAL AND BIOCYBERNE­ TIC SYSTEMS Ergonomie systerns. Prograrnrned learning. Algorithrnization of the psychic activi­ ty of man and anirnals. Hodelling in­ formation transrnission and processing WHAT THE FROG'S EYE TELLS in the nervaus systern and brain. Bio­ THE FROG'S BRAIN nies. Medical cybernetics. Engineer­ ing devices in bionies and medical cy­ bernetics. A rather dirn·-,.;ritted, large frog APPLICATION OF THE METHODS OF TECHNICAL Ate beebees I rolled down his log. CYBERNETICS AND MEANS OF COMPLEX AUT011A­ For rne they were slugs, TION But for hirn they ,.;rere bugs. Econornic effectiveness and social as­ hTill he sink when he jurnps in the bog? pects of the use of technical cyberne­ tics. Econornic models in forecasting S.A.U. and planning growth. Algorithms for solving econornic problerns. Application FINAL PROGRAM ************************************************************* THE NEW CYBERNETICS Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cybernetics The Marvin Center, George Washington University October 29 - November 1, 1981 ************************************************************* Conference Theme: This is the first major conference of the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) in seven years. Significant intellectual and technological developments since 1974 have stimulated new interest in the field of cybernetics. This conference is designed to assist in a reformulation of the field-­ both its intellectual ~nd practical content--and to provide a focus for the professional activities and research efforts of the rejuvenated Societyrs members.

Types of Session: A tutorial is a presentation designed for instructional purposes on topics representing 11 established 11 knowledge. A talk, on the other hand, is designed to explore ideas and opinions not yet well accepted. A seminar also serves this purpose, but uses a more interactive format. A symposium provides an opportunity for individuals to present a specifi c idea or research result within a 20 minute time limit, followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers. A panel will generally provide each partici pant with the opportunity to express an idea for about 10 minutes; after each panelist has spoken, the floor will be opened for audience participation. A workshop is more open-ended, and will not, in general, involve any presentations. These formats are only suggestions, and alternatives are welcomed. The use of non-traditional forms of interaction are strongly encouraged. Chairpersons have been designated in parentheses for most sessions. The formal responsibilities of these indiv iduals are simply to introduce presenters and ensure that time schedules are ~aintained. Any other organizing and preparatory activities have been left to the discretion of each chairperson.

Conduct of Sessions: The conduct of each session is left to the discretion of the participants and the audience. It is hoped that this conference will not be as rigid or dry as many professional conferences often are. Hence, within the limits that courtesy dictates, sessions should remain receptive to chinges in format, schedule, or personnel. If a session is too sparsely attended to be worthwhile, cancellation or merger with another session may be appropriate. Audience feedback is encouraged, as is the continuation of stimulating sessions into meal and evening hours . Hopefully, by remaining flexible and adaptive, some control over pedantry can be maintained. - 2 - Publication of Papers: A professionally published proceedings of contributed papers is planned. These papers will be reviewed and edited before a selection is made. If you have not yet subm1tted your paper, please send it to:

Dr. Laurence D. Richards Department of Administrative Science Colby College Waterville, Maine 04901

Some of you may prefer publishing you papers in the Cybernetics Forum. If so, please send them to:

Dr. Vadim G. Drozin Department of Physics Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA 17837

Information and Assistance: President, ASC Stuart Umpleby Conference Chairperson Larry Richards Exhibits Allenna Leonard Local Arrangements Robbi Smith

Schedule of Events: Except where otherwise noted, all events are on the fourth floor of the Marvin Center.

Thursday October 29

8:30 4:30 Preconference Seminar: Fundamentals of Cybernetics (Stuart Umpleby) - Members' Lounge, The George Washington University Club, Third floor (separate fee charged)

2:15 3:45 Panel: The Rules of Information (Laurence Heilprin) - The Washington Hilton Hotel, Connecticut Avenue and Columbia Road, N.W. Panelists: Stuart Umpleby, Roger Conant (co-sponsored by the American Society for Information Science - no additional fee)

4:30 8:00 Conference Registration: Fourth floor lobby.

6:00 8:00 Trustees' Dinner: Members' Lounge, The George Washington University Club, Third floor

8:00 - 10:30 Registration, Lounge, Conversation: Room 413

Talk (with slides): A Global Strategy of Human Development (Stuart Umpleby) - Room 415

Workshop: An "experiential" session involving audience interaction on the topics of (1) Adaptive Behavior, (2) Information Dynamics, and (3) Molecular Cybernetics (Paul Henshaw) - Room 414 "t - 3 - Thursdav October 29 (cont'd)

8:00 - 10:30 Workshop: Education for the Generalist (Barry Clernson and Bill Reckrneyer) - Roorn 410 Principal participants: Yves Bertrand, Guennady Vorobyov, Beverly Zanger, Larry Richards, Bill Hayon-White, John Hayrnan

Friday October 30

8:30 7:00 Late Registration, Lounge, Conversätion, Exhibits: Roorn 401

8:30 9:45 Talk: The Cornposer's Idiosyncratic Cybernetics (Herbert Brün) - Roorn 402 -

' Tutorial: What is Information? (Anthony Debons and John Wise) - Roorn 406

Talk: Intergroup Conflict and Evolution in Social Units (Joan Lind) - Roorn 404

Symposium: Cybernetics and Athletics - Roorn 407 Style in Athletics (Beverly Zanger) The Cybernetics of Coaching (Larry Richards)

9:00 - 5:00 Panel and Workshop: Cornrnunity Cybernetic Centers (Scott Riggs and Stuart Urnpleby) - Lincoln Room West, The Washington Hilton, ConnecticutAvenue and Colurnbia Road, N.W.(co-sponsoredbv the Arnerican Society for Inform~tion Scie~ce - no additional fee)

10:00 - 12:00 Tutorial: Social Applicatiqns of Prigogine's Non-Equilibriurn Thermodynamics (Peter Allen) - Roorn 406

Tutorial: Problern Solving and Decision Making Tools (Jeffrey Perrone) - RDorn 407

Panel: .Hinds, Brains, Machines (Richard Restak) - Roorn 404 Panelists: Gordon Pask, Bill Mayon-rffhite, Larry Richards, Klaus Krippendorff

Panel: The Cybernetics Gap: Soviet Vß. American {Fred Giessler) - Roorn 402 Panelists: Jack Ford, Aron Katsenelinboigen, Vladimir Lefebvre , Doreen Steg, Dan Howland, Tom Rona, Leo Steg, John Battilega, Lance Lord, Guennady Vorobyov

1:00 3:00 Tutorial: Systems Dynamics Applications in Administration (Ray Sheckengost) - Roorn 406 4 - Friday October lQ (Cont'd)

1:00 3:00 Panel: Systems Theory vs. Cybernetics (Klaus Krippendorff) - Roorn 402 Panelists: Alan Blair, Robert Lilienfeld, Bill Mayon-White, Vadim Drozin Panel: Women in Science (Allenna Leonard) - Roorn 4m Panelists: Leonra Foerstel, Barry Clemson, Mary-Ellen Verhayden-Hilliard

1:00 2:00 Talk: Cybernetics, Epistemology, Logic (Lars Löfgren) - Room 404

2:00 3:00 Symposium: Organization and Vulnerability- Roorn 404. Degree of Organization (Marilyn Levine) Vulnerability and Resilience (Kent Myers)

3:15 5:15 Panel: Social Implications of Robotics (Steve Miller) - Room 406 Panelists: William Bittle, Neil Rosenthal

Panel: Applications of Management Cybernetics (David Beatty) - Room 404 Panelists: Roberto Canete, Barry Clemson, Jean Bourget, David Mitchell

Seminar: System Description and the Cybernetics of Cybernetics (Bill Mayon-White) - Roorn 402

3:15 4:15 Talk: The Cybernetics of Language (Annetta Pedretti) - Room 407

4:15 5:15 Panel: Applications of Cybernetics to Consumer Behavior (Doreen Steg, Rosalind Schulman) - Room 407

6:30 - 10:30 Panel and Workshop: Applications of Management Cybernetics to c3I (Command, Communications, Control, Intelligence) (Fred Giessler) - Room 404 Panelists: Tom Rona, Dan Howland, Bob Conley, Larry Rainey, Mike Pearson, Dave Alberts, Clinton Kelley, Dennis Leedom, Paul Moose, Stu Starr, Kelly Scheinberg, John Shaud, Larry Fogel, Stu Urnpleby, Don Tetmeyer, Al Rachel, Jon Cunny~am, Steve Lukasik

7:00 - 10:00 Workshop: The New Cybernetics - Room 407 What is Wrong with the "Old Cybernetics"? (Vadim Drozin) Why not the nNew Cybernetics"? (Ranulph Glanville)

Workshop: Prospects for World Peace (Alexander Christakis) - Room 406 - 5 - Friday October 30(Cont'd)

7:00 - 10:00 Seminar: A Conversation with Gordon Pask - Room 401

Films: Arranged by Allenna Leonard - Room 402 (Short films selected for their reflection of cybernetic ideas)

Film and Panel: Cybernetics and Social Development (Fred Landis) - Media Resources Center, Basement Room B04, Gelman L~brar~ 22nd and H Streets . Film Premier: CIA Media Operations: A Study in Imagination and Perversity (30 minutes) Panelists: Michael Schrage, Morton Halperin, Claudio Duran (A contribution of $3 will be requested at the door to help cover some of the production costs.)

Saturdav October 31

8:30 7:00 Cyberneticians' Art Exhibit, Lounge, Conversation (coordinated by Allenna Leonard) - Room 405

8:30 9:45 Talk: Autopoiesis and Self-Organization (Bill Reckmeyer) - Roo~ 410 ·

Tutorial: Analytic Psychology: Source Concepts for Artificial Intelligence (Anthony Badalamenti) - Room 414

Tutorial: Deduc~ng System Relationships from Partial Information (Roger Conant) - Room 415

Talk: Buddhism and Cybernetics (Yves Bertrand) - Room 413

10:00 - 12:00 Panel: Future Industrial Applications of Cybernetics (Sanford Weinberg) - Room 415 Panelists: Joseph Thon, Melinda Beth Shorr, John English, Larry Smotroff, Edward Greenwald, William Schalleur

Symposium: Advanced Research Topics (Charles Fink ) - Room 406 An Example of Parallel Asynchronaus Real-Time Program Specification (Leo Motus) Computer-aided Simulation of Three Dimensional Tumor Growth (W. Düchting and Th. Vogelsaenger) An Adaptive System of Control for an Industrial Multistage Process (Tadeusz Niewierowicz) Bodily Cybernetics Which Control a Deadly Neurological Condition are Revealed (Charles Fink) - 6 -

Saturday October 31 (Cont'd)

10:00 - 12:00 Talk: Cybernetics, Epistemology, Ethics (Heinz von Foerster) - Room 410

Talk (with slides): A Global Information Cooperative (Howard Kurtz) - Room 414

1:00 3:00 Panel: · Epistemology and Cybernetics (Ernst von Glasersfeld) - Room 410 Panelists: Heinz von Foerster, Lars Löfgren, Gordon Pask, Roger Conant, Mark Bickhard, Howard Gruber.

Symposium: Applications of Cybernetics to Learning (Doreen Steg) ~ Room 415 Communication and Control in Early Intervention Through Technology, A Ten Year Report (Doreen Steg) On Enabling Learners to Control Their Own Feedback (Cheryl Fox) Teaching Computers How to Think (Nancy and Yehoash Dworkin) Requisite Variety and Formal Education (John Hayman)

Symposium: Organizational Information and Decision Structures (Samir Chakraborty) - Room 414 Hierarchie Information Structures for the Corporate Financial Management Process (Samir Chakraborty) Corporate MIS and Cybernetics: An Unexpected Research Lode? (Stephen Ruth) A Heuristic Simulation of Equifinality in the Political Decision Tree (Sanford Weinberg and James Yankech)

1:00 2:00 Talk: Structure, Organization, Identity (Laurence Heilprin) - Room 413

2:00 3:00 Talk: Cybernetics: The Art of the St;ate (Ranulph Glanville) - Room 413

3:15 5:15 Workshop: Language and Self-Reference (Annetta Pedretti) - Room 410 Principal participants: Ernst von Glasersfeld, Lars Löfgren, Heinz von Foerster, Gordon Pask

Talk: Health Care as a Feedback Loop (Mark Ozer) - Rööiii 413

Panel: The Cybernetics of Bureaucracy (Susan Schjelderup)- Room 415 Panelists: Walter Hahn, Roberto · Cafiete - 7 -

Saturday October 31 (Cont'd)

3:15 4:15 Talk: Medium or Large Scale Systems for Information and Communication (Kjell Samuelson) - Room 414

4:15 5:15 Talk: Structural Learning Theory (Joseph Scandura) - Room 414

5:30 6:30 Business Meeting (Stuart Umpleby presiding) - Rooms 410 & 415

7:30 ??? The Oral T~adition: coordinated by Barry Clemson and Bill Reckmeyer. An informal evening of wine, cheese, and conversation highlighted by impromptu reminiscences, anecdotes, poetry, limericks, skits, or whatever seems to fit the occasion. ,. Homemade culinary delights are welcomed.- Rooms 410 & 415

Sunday November 1

8:30 10:00 Lounge and Conversation Room 413

8:30 9:45 Tutorial: Self-Reference (Ranulph Glanville) - Room 414

Seminar: The Composer's Idiosyncratic Cybernetics (Herbert Brün) FQllowup of Prof. Brun's talk given on Friday - Room 402

Tutorial: Constraint Analysis: The New Information Science (Gerrit Broekstra) - Room 415

8:30 - 11:00 Tutorial: Creating the Corporate Future (Russell Ackoff) - Room 410

10:00 - 12:00 Tutorial: Learning Automata: An Introduction to Theory and Applications (S. Lakshmivarahan) - Room 414

Talk (with film and slides): Cybernetics, Music and Art (Patricia Friedman) - Room 402

Panel: World Futures and National Development (S. Subramaniam) - Room 414 Panelists: Guennady Vorobyov, Vadim Drozin

Panel: The Cybernetics of Helping (Fred Steier) - Room 415 Panelists: Klaus Krippendorff, Allenna Leonard, Emily Reynolds, Larry Hirschhorn, Tom Gilmore - 8 - Sunday November 1 (Cont'd)

12:00 2:00 Seminar: Creating the Corporate Future (Russell Ackoff) - Room 410 Followup of tutorial given in the morning.

1:00 2:00 Talk: Recent Developments in Problem Solving (Hans Berliner) - Room 414

Symposium: Mind and Reality - Room 415 · Models of Mind: Psychologie {Felix Kopstein) Changing the Minds of Cyberneticians (Bruce England)

Symposium: Problems with Computerization - Room 413 Cybernetic Sermon to Computer-Crazed Colleagues (George Donoian and Eleanor Donoian) Correlates of Cyberphobia(Sanford Weinberg and John English)

Talk: Art and Cybernetics (John Dixon) - Room 402

2:15 4:30 The New C bernetics: Assessments and Directions (coordinated by Larry Richards - Rooms 410 & 415 An informal discussion of the ernerging formulation of the field of cybernetics: an evaluation of the conference, of new directions for cybernetics research, and of the future of ASC as an integrating and facilitating mechanism. While brief announce­ ments of the state of ASC will be made at this time, the primary focus will be intellectual and strategic rather than administrative.

Special Exhibits

The Terrapin Turtle Terrapin, Inc. Paintings/Drawings Scott Kim Computer Graphics Herbert Brün Bocks Reiter's Bockstore Posters and T-shirts Klaus Krippendorff Pre1iminary Program October 1, 1981 /

THE NEW CYBERNETICS Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cybernetics The Marvin Center, George Washington University October 29 - November 1, 1981

THEME

It is hoped that this first major conference of the Society since 1974 will implictly, if not explicitly, lead to a redefinition of the field of cyber­ netics and provide a focus for future professional activities and research efforts of the ~ejuvenated Society's members.

SUm1ARY

At present, the conference includes 13 panels, 11 tutoria1s, 8 workshops, 6 individual talks, 5 symposia, 3 slide presentations, 2 seminars, and vari­ ous exhibits and films. A tutorial is a presentation designed for instruc­ tional purposes on topics representing "established" knowledge. A talk, on the other hand, is designed to explore ideas and opinions not yet well accepted. A seminar also serves this purpose, but uses a more interactive format. A symposium provides an opportunity for individuals to present a specific idea or research result within a 20 minute time limit, followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers. A panel will generally provide each participant with the opportunity to express an idea for about 10 minutes; after each panelist has spoken, the floor will be opened for audience par­ ticipation. A workshop is more open-ended, and will not, in general, in­ volve any presentations. These formats are only suggestions, and alterna­ tives are welcomed. The use of non-traditional forms of interaction are strongly encouraged.

Chairpersons have been designated in parentheses for panels, symposia, and workshops. The formal responsibilities of these individuals are simply to introduce presenters and ensure that time schedules are maintained. Any other organizing and preparatory activities are left to the discretion of each chairperson.

Sunday - Friday October 25-30

The American Society for Information Science will hold its annual meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel. For further information, write the ASIS office at 1010 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 or phone them at (202)659-3644. Of particular interest to ASC members are sessions on the "Foundations of Information . Science" scheduled for Thursday, October 29, and "Community Cybernetic Centers,'' scheduled for Friday, October 30. Thursday October 29

8:30 - _4: 30 Members' Lounge, The George Washington University Club, Third Floor, Marvin Center.

Seminar: Fundamentals of Cybernetics (Stuart Umpleby).

Note - enrollment is limited to 35. The fee of $40 for ASC members, $50 for non-members, includes buffet lunch.

4:30 - 7:00 Conference registration. Fourth floor lobby .

6 : 00 - 8:00 Trustees~ dinner.

8:00 - 10:30 Slide presentation: A global strategy of human develop­ ment. (Stuart Umpleby) - room 415.

Workshop: APL: a natural language for cybernetics (Ronald Schwartz and Kenneth Iverson) - room 413.

Workshop: An "experiential" session involving audience interaction an the topics of (1) adaptive behavior, (2) information dynamics, and (3) molecular cybernetics. (Paul Henshaw) - room 414.

Workshop: Education for the generalist (Barry Clemson and Bill Reckmeyer) - room 410. Principal parti~i­ pants: Yves Bertrand, Guennady Vorobyov, Beverly Zanger, Larry Richards, Bill Mayon-White, Jen Hayman.

Friday October 30 ..c 8:30 4:00 Late registration, lounge, and conversation - room 401.

8:30 - 9:45 Talk: The composer's idiosyncratic cybernetics (Herbert Brün) - room 402.

Tutorial: What is information? (Anthony Debons and John Wise) - room 406.

Talk: Cybernetics: the art of the state (Ranulph Glan­ ville) - room 407.

10:00 - 12:00 Tutorial: Social applications of Pri gogine's non­ equilibrium thermodynamics (Peter Allen) - room 406.

Tutorial: Problem solving and decision making tools (Jeffrey Perrone) - room 407.

Panel: ~linds, brains, machines (Richard Restak) - room 404. Panelists to be arranged. -3-

Panel: The cybernetics gap: Soviet vs. American (Fred Geissler) - room 402. Panelists to be arranged.

1:00 - 3:00 Tutorial: Systems dynamics applications in administra­ tion (Ray Sheckengost) - room 406.

Panel: Systems theory vs. cybernetics (Klaus Krippen­ dorff) - room 402. Panelists: Alan Blair, Robert Lilien­ feld, Bill Mayon-White, others.

Panel: Warnen in science (Allenna Leonard) - room 407. Panelists to be arranged.

1:00 - 2:00 Talk: Cybernetics, epistemology, logic (Lars LÖfgren) - room 404.

2:00 - 3:00 Symposium: Organization and vulnerability - room 404. Degree of organization (Marilyn Levine). Vulnerability and resilience (Kent Nyers) .

3: 15 - 5: 15 Panel: Structure, organization, identity (Laurence Heilprin) - room 402. Panelists: to be arranged.

Panel: Social implications of robotics (Steve Niller) - room 406. Panelists to be arranged.

~: Applications of management cybernetics (David Beatty) - room 404. Panelists: Roberto Canete, Barry Clemson, Jean Bourget.

Seminar: System description and the cybernetics of cybernetics (Bill Mayon-White) - room 407.

Panel: Applications of cybernetics to consumer behavior (Doreen Steg, Rosalyn Schulman) - room 401.

7:oo - ro:oo Films: Arranged by Allenna Leonard - room 402.

Workshop: Why not the new cybernetics? (Ranulph Glan­ ville) - room 407.

Workshop: Prospects for world peace (Alexander Chris­ takis) - room 406.

Seminar: A conversation with Gordon Pask - room 401.

6:30 - 10:30 Panel and workshop: CCCI: application of management cybernetics (Fred Geissler) - room 404. Principal par­ ticipants: Mike Pearson, Dan Howland, Jon Cunnyngham, Larry Rainey, others. -4-

Saturday October 11

8:30 am - 7:00pm Cyberneticians' art exhibit, lounge, and conversa­ tion (coordinated by Allenna Leonard) - room 405.

8:30 - 9:45 Tutorial: Autopoiesis and self-organization (Bill Reck­ meyer) - room 410.

Tuterial: Analytic psychology: source concepts for artificial intelligence (Anthony Badalementi) - room 414.

Tutorial: Deducing system relationships from partial information (Roger Conant) - room 415.

Talk: Buddhism and Cybernetics (Yves Bertrand) - room 413.

10:00 - 12:00 ~: Future industrial applications of cybernetics (Sanford Weinberg) - room 415. Panelists: Joseph Thon, Melinda Beth Shorr, • John English, Larry Smotroff, Edward Greenwald, Wm. Schalleur.

Symposium: Advanced research topics (Charles Fink) - room 406. Presenters: Leo Motus, W. Duchting and Th. Vogelsaenger, Charles Fink, Tadeus Niewierowicz.

Talk: Cybernetics, epistemology, ethics (Heinz von Foerster) - room 410.

Slide presentation: A ~global information cooperative (Howard Kurz) - room 414.

1:00 - 3:00 ~: Epistemology and cybernetics (Ernst von Glasers­ feld) room 410. Panelists: Heinz von Foerster, Lars LÖf• gren, Gordon Pask, Roger Conant, ~1ark Bickhard, Howard Gruber.

Symposium: Applications of cybernetics to learning (Doreen Steg) - room 415. Presenters: C. Fox, Nancy Dworkin and Yehoash Dworkin, John Hayman, Doreen Steg.

Symposium: Organizational information and decision structures (Samir Chakaborty) - room 414. Presenters: Stephen Ruth, Sanford Weinberg, James Yankech, Samir Chakraborty.

3:15 - 4:15 Talk: medium or large scale systems for information and communication (Kjell Samuelson) - room 414. -5-

3:15 - 5:15 Workshop: Language and self-reference (Annetta Pedret­ ti) - room 410. Principal participants : Ernst von Glasersfeld, Lars LÖfgren, Heinz von Foerster, Ranulph Glanville, Gordon Pask (followup of panel on "Epistemology and cybernetics.").

Talk: Health care as a feedback loop (Hark Ozer) - room 413.

Panel: The cybernetics of bureaucracy (Susan Schjelder­ up) - room 415. Panelists: Walter Hahn, Alex Weilenmann.

4:15 - 5:15 Talk: Structural learning theory (Joseph Scandura) - room 414.

5:30 - 6:30 Business meeting (Stuart Umpleby presiding) - rooms 410 & 415.

7:30 -??? The Oral Tradition: coordinated by Barry Clemson and Bill Reckmeyer. An informal evening of wine, cheese, and conversation highlighted by impromptu reminiscences, anecdotes, poetry, limericks, skits, or whatever seems to fit the occasion. Hornemade culinary delights are welcomed. Come prepared - or ad lib. - rooms 410 & 415.

Sunday November l

8:30 - 10:00 Lounge and conversation - room 413 .

8:30 - 9:45 Tutorial: Self-reference (Ranulph Glanville) - room 414. ~

Seminar: The composer~s idiosyncratic cybernetics (Her­ bert B(~n) Followup of Prof. Br~n's talk given on Fri­ day - room 402.

Tutorial: Constraint analysis : the new information sci­ ence (Gerrit Broekstra) - room 415.

8:30 - 11:00 Tutorial: Creating the corporate future (Russell Ackoff) - room 410.

10:00 - 12:00 Tutorial : Learning automata; an introduct i on t o theory and applications (S. Lakshmivarahan) - room 41 4.

Slide presentation: Cybernetics and art (Lillian Schwartz) - room 402.

Panel: World futures and national deve l opment es. Subramaniam) - room 414. Panelists : Frank Feather, Guennady Vorobyov, others. -6-

Panel: The cybernetics of helping (Fred Steier) - room 415. Panelists: Klaus Krippendorff, Allenna Leonard, Emily Reynolds, Larry Hirshhorn, others.

12:00 - 2:00 Seminar: Creating the cerparate future (Russell Ackoff) - room 410. Followup of tutorial given in the morning.

1 : 00 - 2:00 Talk: Recent developments in problern solving (Hans Ber­ liner - room 402.

Symposium: Mind and reality - room 414 Models of mind: Psychologie (Felix Kapstein). Inventing reality (Bruce England).

Symposium: Computerization - room 415 Presenters: George Donoian, Eleanor Donian, Sanford Weinberg, John English.

Talk: Art and cybernetics (John Dixon) - room 402.

2:15 - 4:30 The New Cybernetics: Assessments and Directions (Larry Richards) - rooms 410 & 415. An informal discussion of the ernerging redefinition of the field of cybernetics: an evaluation of the conference, of new directions for cybernetics research, and of the future of ASC as an integrating and facilitating mechanism. While brief announcements of the state of ASC will be made at this time, the primary focus will be intellectual and stra­ tegic rather than administrative.

PROGRAM ADDITION

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Friday October 30

7:00pm- 9:30pm Film and Discussion: Fred S.Landis will present the pre­ mier of a film on CIA psychological warfare operations in Chile in 1970, Jamaica in 1980, and Nicaragua in 1981. The 30 minute, color film, "CIA Media Operations: A Study in Imagination and Perversity" was produced by Landis, an internationally known expert in psychological warfare op-· erations, with the collaboration of the Jamaican Press Association and Union de Periodistas de Nicaragua. The film will be followed by a discussion. People who hold a wide range of views are being invited to attend. A contri­ bution of $3 or more will be collected at the door to help cover the cost of making the film. The film will be shown in the Media Resources Center, basement room 04 (B04), Gelman Library, 22nd and H Streets.