Cybernetics Research Research Articles

The Conditions of Formation of Socio-psychological Competence to Critical Situations at Training of Specialists for Underground Construction

The authors consider innovative materials and structures developed by Boris Biryukov, a Russian researcher, within the framework of structural mechanics and civil engineering. The authors analyze the contribution made by Boris Vladimirovich Biryukov, an outstanding Russian logician, into the development of applied logic in Russia. In 1962 – 1991, Boris Biryukov headed the methodology department of the Cybernetics Research Council at the USSR Academy of Sciences. In some of his works, Biryukov interpreted the ideas initially expressed by N.M. Gersevanov, V.I. Shestakov, P. Erenfest and other logicians and mathematicians, who applied the methods, originally developed within the framework of exact and natural sciences, to technology-related problems of the national economy. The authors prove that Boris Biryukov and his colleagues were the first scholars who drew the attention of the research community to the logic-based research performed by N.M. Gersevanov, a prominent engineer and urban developer. In his works, Biryukov proved that this founder of the Russian school of soil mechanics was the first researcher who applied the instruments of mathematical logic to civil engineering problems. In the second part of the article, the authors demonstrate the way V.I. Shestakov developed several Gersevanov's ideas. Finally, the authors offer a sample relay contact circuit applied to the identically true formula compiled according to the rules of the logic of sentential calculus.

The Problem of Using Logic in Structural Mechanics and Electrical Engineering as Viewed by the Russian Researcher Boris Biryukov

The authors consider innovative materials and structures developed by Boris Biryukov, a Russian researcher, within the framework of structural mechanics and civil engineering. The authors analyze the contribution made by Boris Vladimirovich Biryukov, an outstanding Russian logician, into the development of applied logic in Russia. In 1962 – 1991, Boris Biryukov headed the methodology department of the Cybernetics Research Council at the USSR Academy of Sciences. In some of his works, Biryukov interpreted the ideas initially expressed by N.M. Gersevanov, V.I. Shestakov, P. Erenfest and other logicians and mathematicians, who applied the methods, originally developed within the framework of exact and natural sciences, to technology-related problems of the national economy. The authors prove that Boris Biryukov and his colleagues were the first scholars who drew the attention of the research community to the logic-based research performed by N.M. Gersevanov, a prominent engineer and urban developer. In his works, Biryukov proved that this founder of the Russian school of soil mechanics was the first researcher who applied the instruments of mathematical logic to civil engineering problems. In the second part of the article, the authors demonstrate the way V.I. Shestakov developed several Gersevanov's ideas. Finally, the authors offer a sample relay contact circuit applied to the identically true formula compiled according to the rules of the logic of sentential calculus.

Living in Cybernetics: Papers from the 50th Anniversary Conference of the American Society for Cybernetics

On the 3rd of August 2014, the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) celebrated their 50th anniversary at their annual conference, which that year was held in Washington, DC, hosted by George Washington University. The choice of venue reflected the fact that the first conference of the ASC was held in the same city in 1964. The proceedings from this celebratory conference are presented in this special issue of Kybernetes. The last three conference proceedings have been published in this ISI rated journal, showing the commitment from both sides to advance the field through the dissemination of cybernetics research. The conference took place from the 3rd to the 9th of August 2014, with the theme of Living in Cybernetics.

The Tragedy of Radical Subjectivity: From Radical Software to Proprietary Subjects

Considering the aestheticization of post-World War II research in cybernetics as part of a cultural shift in art practices and human and machine subjectivities, the author brings these spheres together by analyzing encounters between the experimental artists and researchers who wrote for and edited Radical Software in the early 1970s, including Harry A. Wilmer, Gregory Bateson and Paul Ryan. She then connects their experimental uses of video feedback (a central tenet of cybernetics) to new and increasingly pervasive human-machine subjectivities.

Groundwork for International Law

International law is a system; its environment is the field of international relations. Although the word system is often used generically, it has a formal meaning in “general systems theory,” an interdisciplinary methodology that grew out of cybernetics research in the 1970S. Since then, general systems theory has proved to be a significant heuristic in hundreds of disparate research areas. In describing international law from the viewpoint of an autopoietic system (to be defined shortly), this article intends not just to reexamine the foundations of international law but also to help litigators and negotiators make their international-law arguments sounder and more persuasive.

Creativity from a systems perspective: bridging theory and practice

Purpose – This paper aims to sketch the outline of a systems framework for creativity. It involves several levels of analysis and addresses researchers and practitioners. When improving creative climates in work settings, it is necessary to have a better understanding of the various mechanisms of creativity and what strengthens or diminishes them. Design/methodology/approach – Creativity research is fragmented and involves multiple aspects, levels and disciplines, ranging from biology to psychology and sociology. Concepts from systems science have particular value in understanding creativity, as they provide a transdisciplinary language of how systems work and adapt. This conceptual paper makes use of the language and concepts from the systems field to connect often disparate perspectives and clarify key mechanisms of creativity. Findings – The core of this paper is a newly developed multilevel model of the creative mind. The proposed concepts provide a starting point for integrating further theoretical findings. Practical implications – Improved understanding of creativity could help leaders more effectively use their creativity while facilitating the creativity of others for successful cooperation and problem-solving. Originality/value – The visual models introduced here help bridge theory and practice while creating a stronger link between creativity research and studies in systems, cybernetics and complexity.

Heinz von Foerster's heuristics course

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how the heuristics course co‐taught by Heinz von Foerster, Herbert Brün, and Humberto Maturana (1968‐1969) influenced cybernetic research in the USA.Design/methodology/approachThe author accessed the archived material from three sources: the Herbert Brün Library, the University of Illinois Library, and the Biological Computer Laboratory (BCL) and interpreted these materials in light of the cybernetics literature, and the publications of the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC).FindingsThe heuristics course had major consequences in von Foerster's evolving critique of education, and in Brün's work towards founding a School for Designing a Society. von Foerster radically reoriented the BCL toward unconventional course proposals. He also began to critique objectivity and positivism, shifting the foundations of cybernetics and proposing a meta‐cybernetics. The year that von Foerster retired, the BCL and the ASC ceased to function. When the ASC returned in the 1980s it took on new emphases, including education and design. It appears von Foerster was pivotal in the shift of emphasis.Originality/valueThe findings add new dimensions to the story of the decline of the BCL in the 1970s, and the re‐emergence of the ASC in the 1980s with new emphases (such as design) that are not traditionally found in scientific research.

Basking in a World of Your Own Making

AbstractAs the credit crunch bites in, are pockets of young architects reviving a battle against commodified materialism? Neil Spiller describes how he has experienced this close to home with his own class of 2009 at the Bartlett which has reactivated its own brand of Surrealist cybernetic research, inspired by Dalí. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Introduction to this Special Issue ‘Action Research in Organisational Cybernetics’

Introduction to this Special Issue ‘Action Research in Organisational Cybernetics’

Toward a holistical perception of the content of business ethics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer a new requisitely holistic definition of business ethics (BE) as a crucial component of business cybernetics and practice. The present contribution considers a basic problem: how humans use BE to influence their business processes. Therefore, business is/should be investigated from the viewpoint of ethics. Requisite holism of understanding and consideration of BE in business reality is unavoidable; it can (and must) result from findings and considerations of the interdependence between business practice, ethics, and BE.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, qualitative analysis is applied on the basis of the cybernetics (e.g. especially business cybernetics), dialectical systems theory, and ethics theory.FindingsEthics is a crucial emotional part of human attributes. They can be viewed as the subjective part of the starting points of any human acting/behavior process, including business. Thus, ethics (may) have/has a crucial role in business cybernetics and practice as BE. To clarify and beneficially use BE, one must understand relations between business cybernetics and BE, between business practice and BE, and understand the diversity of content of BE in literature, etc. On this base offered here is an understanding of BE, a definition of the content of BE as a specific type/part of ethics, and a view at source of BE content.Research limitations/implicationsContent of BE. Research is limited to hypothesis and qualitative analysis in desk research. Practical experience is considered implicitly.Practical implicationsThis is a step toward development of business cybernetics with a requisitely holistic approach founded on requisite wholeness of insight. A more specifically created and target‐oriented approach to cybernetic understanding and research of BE of business systems is encouraged.Originality/valueThis paper presents a very new approach, rarely found in main‐stream literature; a new perception and definition of content of BE.

Modeling, Identification and Control at Telemark University College

AbstractMaster studies in process automation started in 1989 at what soon became Telemark University College,and the 20 year anniversary marks the start of our own PhD degree in Process, Energy and Automa-tion Engineering. The paper gives an overview of research activities related to control engineering atDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Information Technology and Cybernetics.Keywords: modeling, simulation, identi cation, control, sensor technology 1 Introduction The Norwegian research journal MIC was initiated bylate Professor Jens Glad Balchen, with the rst issuepublished in 1980. MIC has played a central role inNorwegian cybernetics research, as it coincided with adramatic growth in the number of PhD students andgave these an arena to publish. Telemark UniversityCollege (HiT) salutes the journal, and those who madethe journal possible.The master studies in engineering at HiT started in1988, and the initial board was led by Finn Lied andincluded Inge Johansen and Sven G. Terjesen, all cen-tral people in the engineering community of Norwayin the last part of the 20th century. The leader of theengineering studies was May-Britt Hagg, now professorat The Norwegian University of Science and Technol-ogy (NTNU). In 1989, a study in Process Automationstarted; this study was planned by Terje Hertzberg,Steinar Sˆlid, Gudolf Kjˆrheim, Sven G. Terjesen,Ivar Loe, Jens I. Ytreeide, and Rolf Ergon. Later,Ytreeide became professor in these studies, while Loewas adjunct professor for many years. The Process Au-tomation study was led by Rolf Ergon, now professoremeritus. In 1994, these studies became part of HiT,organized under Faculty of Technology (HiT-TF).From the start, the MSc studies in Porsgrunn hadtheir accreditation from the Ministry of Education andResearch, while the PhD study was formally a degreeat NTNU, where HiT-TF operated almost as a facultyunder NTNU. In April 2009, the Ministry of Educa-tion and Research gave HiT the right to give our ownPhD-degree, in Process, Energy, and Automation En-gineering.The current MSc studies are in Process Technol-ogy, Systems and Control Engineering, and Energyand Environmental Technology, and they are taughtin English. Initially, the strong position of the re-gional process industry shaped the process automationstudy, which had a strong emphasis on modeling of dy-namic systems, numeric methods, process chemistry,separation technology, thermodynamics, etc. Controlengineering was also important, with topics in multi-variable control, optimal and predictive control, stateestimation, and control structures for industrial pro-cesses. Instrumentation technology and process safetywere core topics, and laboratory exercises widely used.With a compact group of teachers in close touch withthe students, this enabled necessary changes in pacewith the developments in the regional and nationalindustry, and today, the core topics are modeling ofdynamic systems, model based control, model based

Language and the Cybernetic Mind

It is the objective of this article, first, to examine certain notions of 'affective' structure (exemplified in the work of, for example, Gregory Bateson and Claude Levi-Strauss) upon which cybernetic research into 'semiotic' systems is ultimately founded, and, second, to look at how this research points beyond a strictly anthropological conception of 'mind' - by way of an analysis of structural mechanics and dynamic systems - towards a general 'signifying materiality' as the basis of what can be colled 'agency' or 'consciousness'.

19th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – EMCSR 2008 – 25-28 March – University of Vienna, Austria

19th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – EMCSR 2008 – 25-28 March – University of Vienna, Austria

18th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research - 2006

18th European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research - 2006

Rhetoric, Cybernetics, and the Work of the Body in Burke's Body of Work

This article examines the development of Kenneth Burke's early rhetorical theory in relation to the coterminous cybernetic research to which Burke was often responding. I argue that recuperating Burke's early attempts to construct a rhetorical subject embracing nonrepresentational vectors is salutary for intervening in ongoing debates over subjectivity and affective experience in contemporary critical, rhetorical, and cultural theory.

Biometric systems

Presents reports and surveys of selective research and development in systems and cybernetics. They include: biometric systems; artificial intelligence; innovations; cybernetics and automation and quantum computing.

New advances in biocybernetics

This paper details advances in biocybernetics and gives reports and surveys of selected research and development in systems and cybernetics. They include supercomputers, biometric technology, formal methods, applications of nanotechnology, innovations, and cybercriminals.

MODELING CONTEXT IN PUNJABI CONFLICT RESOLUTION: SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS AS CONTEXT AGENTS

This paper suggests that multiagent model design can be a useful device for researchers in the social sciences. Focusing on the pluralistic competing venues and strategies for conflict resolution in Punjab, Pakistan, I argue that the social context must be rendered more dynamic and interactive in our analytical models. By representing social context as agents in the formal description of particular cases of conflict resolution, certain recursive properties of different social contexts become apparent. In modification to my argument in an earlier paper (Cybernetics and Systems Research, vol. 1, pp. 383–388, 2002), I argue that the complexity of agents representing social context may usefully be reduced by creating libraries of core social contexts from which instantiations, such as those discussed here, inherit all the common attributes.

Innovative systems

This paper presents reports and surveys of selective innovative research in systems and cybernetics. They include: biocybernetics, thought‐controlled machines, advances in nanotechnology, technological initiatives, innovations worldwide.

Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria

Sixteenth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research – Vienna, Austria