Kybernetes: Volume 33 Issue 9/10

Second‐order cybernetics: an historical introduction

In 1974, Heinz von Foerster articulated the distinction between a first‐ and second‐order cybernetics, as, respectively, the cybernetics of observed systems and the cybernetics of…

The purpose of second‐order cybernetics

In this paper, the origins of second‐order Cybernetics are sketched, and are particularly identified with circularity: a quality that was at the basis of the studies that lead to…

Reminiscences of McCulloch and Pitts and some others

These are recollections of a fruitful and colourful period in the mid‐1950s when the speaker was fortunate to have the opportunity to spend some time with the group around Warren…

Questions about constructivism

A number of observations are made about the nature of constructivism, with the suggestion that it is a less revolutionary development that has been claimed, and that some accounts…

Remarks on the foundations of cybernetics and cognitive science

The paper states that cybernetics has failed to live up to its dream as an interdisciplinary field unifying all the phenomena within the vast space of animals and machines. It…

Self‐organisation as quality control in inquiry

Knowledge is defined as the result of successful attempts to transfer expected effort in the future to effort spent in the present. The less effort remains to be spent in the…

Essential structure in physical observation

At the heart of any process of observation there are certain basic things which must happen. These might be analysed in abstract terms, or then again in terms of the quantum…

Axioms from interactions of actors theory

While working with clients in the last years of his life, Gordon Pask produced an axiomatic scheme for his Interactions of Actors Theory which is a development of his well known…

Cognitive and neuropsychological basis for quantum mechanics: Part II. Quantum‐mechanical behaviour of macroscopic object

The two stages of visual perception according to the models of visual search, the preattentional and the attentional, are presented. The first stage is related to the left…

Approximation of multiple integrals by simple integrals involving periodic functions

In this paper, we consider problems of numerical integration of fast oscillatory functions of one variable, obtained by using α‐dense curves and approximating multiple integrals…

kth‐order Markov chain‐based approximation of the Shannon entropy of Gaussian photon‐counting processes

A method for approximation of the Shannon entropy of Gaussian photon‐counting processes with infinite history was constructed on the memory function of these processes, described…

A cybernetical analysis of entities in multilevel systems

Describes issues relevant to multilevel systems and, as a particular case, living systems analysed from the entities point of view. As attributes, behaviours, sub‐systems, etc.…

Asymptotic behaviour and statistical applications of weighted (h, φ) – divergences

Weighted (h,φ) – divergence statistics are obtained by either replacing both distributions involved in the argument by their nonparametric estimators or replacing one distribution…

Twenty‐first century – the beginning of human immortality

Immortality is the most cherished dream and the biggest wish of any person. People seldom think about it while they are still young, healthy, and full of energy. But when they get…

The Certainty of Uncertainty: Dialogues introducing Constructivism

Ontologies: A Silver Bullet for Knowledge Management and Electronic Commerce

Analysis and Design of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

Network queueing systems – with Industrial Applications

Biometrics: Identity Verification in a Networked World

World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC)

Conference report

Special double issue: developing second order cybernetics – a collection of papers from the UK Cybernetics Society

Awards for Excellence

Call for papers - 6th International Conference of Sociocybernetics

13th World Congress on Systems and Cybernetics, Maribor, Slovenia, 6-10 July 2005

Developing second-order cybernetics: a collection of papers from the UK Cybernetics Society

Call for papers -13th World Congress on Systems and Cybernetics