Newsletter of the American Society for Cybernetics I Roger Conant. Editor ~ 1108 SEO. UICC Box 4348 11" Chicago.IL 60680 312+996-2308 Number 10, June 5, 1981 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The address of the ASC is: 2131 G St. N.W., Washington DC 20052. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE NEW C~BERNETICS ASC Annual Meeting Finally, we hope to keep the registration Marvin Center, George Washington University fee as low as possible. However, due to October 30 - November 3, 1981 the difficulty in planning space require­ Program Chairperson - Larry Richards ments at the Marvin Center we urge you to register as soon as possible and will pro­ vide a discount for those who submit their The program for the first annual meeting registration materials at least one month of the ASC in a number of years is now in advance of the meeting. If you have being finalized. You should receive a any suggestions for enhancing the quality program announcement and registration form of our society's first major conference, semetime in July. Due to unanticipated, or if you have any questions, please feel but extremely encouraging, interest in free to contact me. participating in the conference, we may extend its length to four days as opposed Dr. Laurence D. Richards to the original plan of thr ~ e days. Department of Administrative Science Colby College The program is shaping up to be indeed Waterville,Maine 04901 very exciting, with such well known per­ phone: 207/873-1131x587 sonalitis as Heinz von Foerster, Ernst von Glasersfeld, Lars LÖfgren, Russell Ackoff, Lillian Schwartz, Paul Rubinyi, Gerrit Broekstra, Klaus Krippendorff, Robert Lilienfeld, Herbert BrÜn, and Roberto Canete already agreeing to participate in various ways. In addition to American contributors, numerous British, French, ------------------------------ Dutch, German, Swedish, Israeli, Soviet, CYBERNETICS RESEARCH INSTITUTE and Indian cyberneticians will be partici­ pating as well. There are still others, ------------------------------ e.g. Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Haig Kafafian (LLewellyn Park, W. Orange, Peter and Trudy Johnson-Lenz, who have NJ 07052) is reactivating his Cybernetics indicated an interest in participating but Research Institue, formerly located in will be unable to do so unless funds are Washington, DC. The new chairman of the made available for their travel. If you or board is Julian Bigelow (Institute for your organization can fit these people Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ 08540) and into your schedule as guest lecturers, it the president is Jack Ford (11501 Stone­ would provide them with the means to at­ wood Lane, Rockville, MD 20852). They tend our conference. I sincerely believe plan to develop contacts with universities that the objective of the conference, to for the purpese of establishing programs redefine the field of cybernetics and pro­ in cybernetics. vide a broadened focus for cybernetic research, will be met implicitly if not explicitly. -2 ... CYBERNETICS: THE ART OF THE STATE Foerster's observing systems are observed as observing, rather than being simply from Ranulph Glanville observing, and as such they are represent­ ed. Thus his concern for eigen systerns (We should realise that cybernetics now is which stabilise out the observed from the not the cybernetics of the founding fa­ observing. thers . While the spirit is the sarne, the techniques, insights, and understandings The resolution of this embarassing arnpi­ are not. Too often, nowadays, cybernetics guity lies in what must now be considered is discussed in its early form, regardless a fourth order. In order not to extend of developrnents. Too often, critics bring this regress of orders (to fall into the up questions spotted and solved years ago physicist's quark catch) this fourth order by cyberneticians thernselves.) must refer back to an "earlier" order. In order to retain its generality it must When Ross Ashby talked about a cybernetic consist of observing systerns. The fourth systern he (always) rnade three assertions. order must collapse into the secend order These were that the systern and its corn­ (which presurnably collapses into the ponents could attain a nurober of states, noughth order - that is the order of the and that the system and its cornponents undescribably undescribed). could be thought of as black boxes, and the systern, components and states were Such an order is of observing systerns connected by a nurober of (feedback) corn­ observing observing systems observing in rnunication loops. which the mutual observing, the doing, is the description. Such a description can­ With this armoury he developed sophisti­ not be conventionally represented or cated understandings of the working of the shared, but that is no insuperable prob­ world we perceive areund us. lern. Its solution exists in principle in Pask's Conversation Theory, when applied But it is perhaps strange that he never and examined rather more rigorously than turned the arrnoury in on itself, to exarn­ he has. For instance, the episternology ine what the concepts did when applied to involved has been exarnined by myself and thernselves. Pedretti; the logic by Varela and myself; the medium of representation by Pedretti Later, von Foerster spotted this, although and myself, and Pedretti separately. In using different initial notions. He dif­ the end they must add up to nothing. ferentiated between observed systerns and his secend order cybernetics of observing Taking such a position involves a major systerns. He was not alone in this in­ change in point-of-view from the classi­ sight, which e.g. Pask and Maturana shared cal. The primitive dichotomy becomes no simultaneously. langer the subjectivejobjective (in which­ ever guise) of science, but the self­ Such observing systems can be shown to referential self/other of art. Science is result from the applications of Ashby's seen as an art, and cybernetics as the art three assertions to themselves, self­ of the state. Cyberneticians who tend to referentially, as I have done. Then ob­ technologise, especially those where cy­ serving systerns and self-reference becorne bernetics is still seen as an econornic (revolutionarily) the norm. Inherent in elixir, should enjoy the pun: cybernetics Ashby's characterization is the irnplica­ is NOT the science of the State. tion of their self-application and the consequent shift from observed to observ­ ing systems. (The English hurnourist, Spike Milligan, wrote once about things that disappeared But the characterisation von Foerster in the Berrnuda Triangle. In the end, the gives to his observing systerns belies not Bermuda Triangle also sirnilarly disap­ only a positional paradox, but the use, peared . Then there was nothing but the already, of a third order. For von annihilation of self-reference, the col­ lapse of the fourth to the secend to the naughth order). - SECOND ANNUAL MAINE CYBERNETICS FESTIVAL July 17-20, 1981 Last summer a group of ASC members assembled at the farm of Roger and Shirley Conant on Deer Isle, Maine, for a weekend of sailing, swimming, good food and easy conversation. Along the way several key decisions were made about the Society's future and finances. The event was so much fun, we have decided to do it again. This year the conversation will likely be concerned less with business and more with the key concepts in the field. We shall plan revisions of the glossary and discuss the content of the weekend seminars to be held areund the country to teach the basics of cybernetics. We may also decide the location of the 1982 conference and review the various journals in the field. Please come and share the good times! Location: The Conant's farm is about 60 miles south of Banger, Maine. Drive to the island of Deer Isle. In the town of Deer Isle make a right turn toward the town of Sunset. Go beyend Sunset one mile. At the top of a fairly steep hill turn left. The first drive on the right is the Conant farm • . You will see a barn and then the farm house. If you plan to fly, call Barry Clemson (h: 207/866-7702, o: 207/581-2792). He will suggest what flights to take so someone can meet you at the airport. Most people will probably plan to arrive at the airport in Bangor or Portland early in the afternoon on Friday and will leave early in the afternoon on Monday. To get the supersaver fare, make your reservations and buy your tickets at least 14 days in advance. Arrangements: The house is small, but the barn has room for quite a few people, and there is plenty of space for tents. Bring a sleeping bag, air mattress and a tent if you like. All participants will be asked to share the cost of the food. Last year the cost was about $10 per person. Everyone helps with food pre­ paration and clean up. So the Conants will know how much food to buy, please let them know a week in advance tbat you are coming (Roger Conant, Sunset, Maine 04683, 20 7I 348-2504). Plan your vacation areund the festival. Spouses, children and companions are welcome! .. , . -4- COMMUNITY CYBERNETIC CENTERS services to all groups and professions. The center would facilitate interaction between the members of the connnunity and by Stuart Umpleby and Scott Riggs specialists in such areas as health, crime and delinquency, business practices, During recent years, a number of very water resources, and urban design. The different organizations have become worldwide network of centers would ex­ interested in facilitating the delivery change information on successful projects of information and skills to local and methods. communities for purposes of development. Same of these organizations have been Community cybernetic centers were among primarily interested in technology the ideas discussed at the Washington -- appropriate technology, communica­ meeting on "Information for Connnunities" tion technology, or the social impact reported on below.