Control information theory: the ‘missing link’ in the science of cybernetics

Abstract

AbstractNorbert Wiener's cybernetic paradigm represents one of the seminal ideas of the 20th century. It has provided a general framework for analysing communications and control processes in ‘purposeful’ systems, from genomes to empires. Especially notable are the many important applications in control engineering. Nevertheless, its full potential has yet to be realized. For instance, cybernetics is relatively little used as an analytical tool in the social sciences. One reason, it is argued here, is that Wiener's framework lacked a crucial element––a functional definition of information. The functional (content and meaning) role of information in cybernetic processes cannot be directly measured with Claude Shannon's statistical approach, which Wiener also adopted. Although so‐called Shannon information has made many valuable contributions and has many important uses, it is blind to the functional properties of information. Recently, we proposed a radically different approach to information theory. After briefly critiquing the literature in information theory, this new kind of cybernetic information will be described. We call it ‘control information’. Control information is not a thing or a mechanism but an attribute of the relationships between things. It is defined as: the capacity (know how) to control the acquisition, disposition and utilization of matter/energy in ‘purposive’ (cybernetic) processes. We will briefly elucidate the concept and we will describe a proposed formalization in terms of a common unit of measurement, namely the quantity of available energy that can be controlled by a given unit of information in a given context. However, other metrics are also feasible, from money to allocations of labour (time and energy). Some illustrations will be provided and we will also briefly discuss some of the implications. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.