Cybernetic View Research Articles

Использование сценарных условий международного взаимодействия национальных хозяйств в антикризисном управлении

One of the main questions that economic science seeks to answer in the field of international economic relations is the question of the impact of free trade on economic development. The article analyzes the main approaches and theories of international trade, and also examines the characteristics of economic systems involved in trade from the point of view of information theory and cybernetics, and the influence of these parameters on the management of economic development as national economies, and the world economy as a whole. In some cases, successful specialization in the international division of labor is actually achieved through measures of liberalization of trade, financial markets and capital rules. But these measures do not always produce the expected effects. Information and cybernetic interpretation of the processes of interaction of national economic systems opens up opportunities for the development of a new scientific approach to describing phenomena in the field of international trade.

Purposiveness of Human Behavior. Integrating Behaviorist and Cognitivist Processes/Models

We try not just to reconcile but to “integrate” Cognitivism and Behaviorism by a theory of different forms of purposiveness in behavior and mind. This also implies a criticism of the Dual System theory and a claim on the strong interaction and integration of Sist1 (automatic) and Sist2 (deliberative), based on reasons, preferences, and decisions. We present a theory of different kinds of teleology. Mere “functions” of the behavior: finalism not represented in the mind of the agent, not “regulating” the behavior. Two kinds of teleological mental representations: true “Goals” in control-theory, cybernetic view, with “goal-driven” behavior (intentional action); vs. Expectations in Anticipatory Classifiers: a reactive but anticipatory device, explaining the “instrumental” (finalistic) nature of Skinner’s reinforcement learning. We present different kinds of Goals and goal processing and on this ground the theory of what “intentions” are. On such basis, we can discuss Kathy Wilkes’s hint about the necessarily linguistic formulation of “intentions”; with the hypothesis that her intuition is not correct for any kind on “intention” which may be represented in sensory-motor format, but correct for “volition” and our will-strength for socially influencing ourselves.

A cybernetic view on international stability under multiple sanctions and counter-sanctions

In the paper, a simple discrete dynamical model for the dynamics of two antagonistic parties (opponents) under iterated sanctions and counter-sanctions is proposed. The model is inspired by the Osipov-Lanchester model for combats. Simple stability criteria are derived both for the full information case and for the stochastic uncertainty case. A cybernetic (controlled) version of the model described by bilinear difference equations is proposed. The results provide some important qualitative conclusions that are interpreted in terms of international stability preservation. The risks of global instability caused by a further increase of sanctions intensity are formulated and a possible way of controlling the situation by small actions based on the mutual trust of parties is proposed. The author hopes that the proposed mathematical models can bring humanity closer to understanding and updating the mechanisms of achieving sustainable and safe development even in the face of tough sanctions confrontation.

Der kybernetische Blick und seine Grenzen. Zur systemtheoretischen Selbstbeschreibung der digitalen Gesellschaft

ZusammenfassungDie Systemtheorie positioniert sich in prominenter Weise als eine Sozial- und Gesellschaftstheorie, die sich aufgrund ihrer kybernetischen Denkfiguren und Begriffe besonders dazu eignet, die Digitalisierung der Gesellschaft soziologisch zu deuten. Angesichts dieses Anspruchs reflektiert dieser Beitrag die Bedingungen und Grenzen einer systemtheoretischen Beschreibung digitaler Sozialität. Selbst- und Fremdzuschreibungen der Systemtheorie als Theorie digitaler Sozialität rekapitulierend, betreibt er dazu eine Beobachtung zweiter Ordnung jenes kybernetischen Blicks, der Sozialität generell in funktional-formaler Weise als Prozess der Informationsverarbeitung versteht und Mensch und Computer damit gleichsam symmetrisiert. Es wird herausgearbeitet, dass die Systemtheorie zwar in der Tat gut geeignet ist, eine bereits digital konstituierte Sozialität zu beschreiben, ihr jedoch die Hervorbringung der Unterscheidung von Digitalem und Analogem gerade aufgrund ihrer kybernetisch-digitalen Theorieanlage latent entgleitet. Dies, so die Argumentation, manifestiert sich in einem blinden Fleck der Systemtheorie mit Blick auf Prozesse der Digitalisierung. Zur Bearbeitung dieser Leerstelle schlägt der Beitrag vor, Interfaces als soziotechnische Scharniere, die Analoges in Digitales übersetzen, soziologisch zu fokussieren. Denn erst diese Schnittstellen, so die These, ermöglichen einerseits die Symmetrisierung sämtlicher Entitäten im Register der Digitalität und machen andererseits das nicht-übersetzbare oder -übersetzungswürdige Analoge als „Rest“ des Digitalen intelligibel. Eine Sozialtheorie der Digitalisierung ist mithin angehalten zu rekonstruieren, wie eine Gesellschaft ihre analoge Umwelt laufend digital markiert, verarbeitet und schließlich vergisst.

Socio-Economic Formations in the Context of the Systemic Genesis of Humankind: a Cybernetic View

Последовательность исторически сменяющихся общественно-экономических формаций (ОЭФ) рассматривается, – с позиций информатико-кибернетического моделирования процесса развития самоуправляющейся иерархо-сетевой системы Человечества, – как природный феномен, теснейшим образом связанный с его системным генезисом. Используя в качестве маркера системного генезиса Человечества этапы усложнения базисной информационной технологии (ИТ), удаётся проследить основные этапы сменяющихся ОЭФ (включая ретроспективу «собственно» первобытно-общинного строя (ПОС) и перспективу современного развития): 1) ИТ сигнальных поз/звуков/движений (лидировавшей в период ~28,2-1,86 млн лет назад) соответствует ОЭФ «Пред-пред-первобытно-общинный строй»; 2) ИТ мимики/жестов (~1,86-0,123 млн лет назад) соответствует ОЭФ «Пред-первобытно-общинный строй»; 3) ИТ речи/языка (~123-8,1 тыс. лет назад и далее) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’; 4) ИТ письменности/чтения (~6,1 тыс. лет до н.э.–~1446 г. и далее) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’’+Феодализм’; 5) ИТ тиражирования текстов/книгопечатания (~1446-1946 гг.) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’’’+Феодализм’’+Капитализм’; 6) ИТ локальных компьютеров (~1946-1979 гг. и далее) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’’’’+Феодализм’’’+Капитализм’’+«Цифрализм-1’»; 7) ИТ телекоммуникаций/сетей (~1979-1981 гг. и далее) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’’’’’+Феодализм’’’’+Капитализм’’’+«Цифрализм-1’’,2’»; 8) перспективную нано-аппаратно поддерживаемую ИТ (~1981 г. и далее) соответствует ОЭФ ПОС’’’’’’+Феодализм’’’’’+Капитализм’’’’+ «Цифрализм-1’’’,2’’,3’». Показана важность принципов системной кумуляции и системной согласованности, отражающих переход от представления об однолинейности эволюционного процесса (соединения смежных его этапов «встык») к представлению о параллелизме некоторых его составляющих (объединения смежных этапов «внахлёст»), что позволило говорить о комбинированности, многолинейности как типов общественного хозяйства – от присваивающего хозяйства до перспективного производства транспланетарных корпораций, так и превалирующей общественной управленческой структуры – от собственно «демократии» на небольшой площади (радиусом эквивалентного круга до 15 км) до перспективной «демократо-автократо-олигархо-арифмократо-1-арифмократо-2-арифмократии-3», в Промежуточном Космосе (т.е. в пространстве радиусом до 11,7 млн км вокруг Земли). Утверждается, что поиск оптимальных соотношений управленческих алгоритмов «власти людей/народа-феодалов/аристократов/землевладельцев-буржуазии/денег/банкиров-владельцев_информационных_баз-владельцев_информационных_потоков» – средство выживания Человечества сегодня/завтра. The sequence of historically changing socio-economic formations (SEF) is considered, – from the standpoint of informatics-cybernetic modeling of the development process of the self-controlling hierarchical-network system of Humankind, – as a natural phenomenon closely related to its systemic genesis. Using the stages of complication of basic information technology (IT) as a marker of the systemic genesis of Humankind, it is possible to trace the main stages of the changing SEF (including a retrospective of the “proper” primitive communal formation (PCF) and the prospect of modern development): 1) IT signal poses/sounds/movements (leading in the period ~28.2-1.86 million years ago) corresponds to the PCF "Pre-pre-primitive communal formation"; 2) IT mimics/gestures (~1.86-0.123 million years ago) corresponds to the PCF "Pre-primitive communal formation"; 3) IT speech/language (~123-8.1 thousand years ago and further) corresponds to SEF PCF’; 4) IT writing/reading (~6.1 thousand years BC-~1446 and further) corresponds to SEF PCS’’+Feudalism’; 5) IT reproduction of texts/printing (~1446-1946) corresponds to the SEF PCF’’’+Feudalism’’+Capitalism’; 6) IT local computers (~1946-1979 and further) corresponds to SEF PCF’’’’+Feudalism’’’+Capitalism’’+Digitalism-1’; 7) IT telecommunications/networks (~1979-1981 and further) corresponds to the SEF PCF’’’’’+Feudalism’’’’+Capitalism’’’+Digitalism-1’’+Digitalism-2’; 8) a promising nano-hardware supported IT (~1981 onwards) corresponds to the SEF PCF’’’’’’+Feudalism’’’’’+Capitalism’’’’+Digitalism-1’’’+Digitalism-2’’+Digitalism-3’. The importance of the principles of systemic cumulation and systemic consistency is shown, reflecting the transition from the idea of a single-line evolutionary process (connection of its adjacent stages "in the joint") to the idea of a parallelism of some of its components (combining of adjacent stages "overlap"), which made it possible to speak of combination, multilinearity as types of social economy – from appropriating economy to promising production of transplanetary corporations, and the prevailing public management structure – from proper "democracy" in a small area (with an equivalent circle radius of up to 15 km) to promising "democrat-autocratic-oligarch-arithmocrat-1-arithmocrat-2-arithmocracy-3", in the Intermediate Space (i.e. in the Space with a radius of up to 11.7 million km around the Earth). It is argued that the search for optimal ratios of managerial algorithms for “the power of people-lords/aristocrats/landowners-money/bankers-information_bases-information_flows” is a means of survival for Humankind today/tomorrow.

Capturing the dynamics of interorganizational governance implementation: a process and cybernetic based conceptualization

PurposeThe effectiveness of interorganizational governance is one of the most significant concerns of firms involved in supply chain management. Previous studies have extensively examined various interorganizational governance strategies. However, the dynamic and implementation details of interorganizational governance receive little attention, which leads to the defects of interorganizational governance literature. This study tries to explore this issue.Design/methodology/approachBased on the process and cybernetic view, this study conceptualized four interorganizational governance processes and their respective critical activities to capture the dynamic and implementation details of interorganizational governance. Furthermore, this study investigated the mapping of governance strategies into different critical activities, which unveil the various manifestations of governance strategies across these critical activities.FindingsFour interorganizational governance processes and their respective critical activities would overarch the dynamic and implementation details of governance strategies. Furthermore, various governance strategies also would have different manifestations across the critical activities of the four processes.Originality/valueThis paper fills the gaps in interorganizational governance literature in which the dynamic details of governance strategies are unclear. The new conceptualization provides a new paradigm for researchers to zoom in on the subtle dynamics of interorganizational governance. The new conceptualization indicates a few promising future research directions.

Models for the Design and Operation of Digital Educational Environments

Many educational institutions, assessing their prospects, plan to develop distance educational services using their own electronic and information educational environments (EIEE). During creating and operating EIEE of educational institution (EI), a number of questions arise related to structural, marketing, personnel and other decisions. The purpose of this article is to research the organizational, technical and didactic aspects of the EIEE EI. The methodology of the research is based on methods of system analysis, cybernetics, pedagogical psychology and didacticism.A conceptual model of the EIEE EI as an organizational and technical system has been proposed. It includes a marketing subsystem, a set of technical tools, various types of security and an organizational subsystem. The main functions of these subsystems and their various components have been identified.A didactic model of a typical complex of digital educational resources has been developed. Within this model, the diversity of digital educational resources across each academic discipline is integrated into complexes that provide a complete study at different target levels of assimilation, from initial acquaintance to solving uncharacteristic professionally oriented tasks.From the point of view of pedagogical psychology and cybernetics, the high importance of feedback in EIEE EI is shown. The classification of feedbacks (internal and external) is proposed for the triad “Teacher – Teaching Program – Learner”. The limits of the use of automation in the formation of feedbacks are specified, as opposed to other (non-computer) responses to students’ educational activities. The role and place of feedback in the “digital footprints” of students and teachers is shown and the directions for the use of this data in artificial intelligence systems are outlined.

On the relationship between the social phylogenesis of personality and the systemic sociogenesis of Humankind:a cybernetic view

On the relationship between the social phylogenesis of personality and the systemic sociogenesis of Humankind:a cybernetic view

Розвиток методології моделювання інформаційно-керуючих систем на залізничному транспорті

In railway transport, the problems that have been considered for many years were solved by administrative – command methods. This is due to the fact that until the 60s of the 20th century, the railway was a military – organized structure. Therefore, its organization and management system copied military approaches and, for this reason, systematic studies on the scientific substantiation of the principles of construction and operation were not carried out. The foundations of a systematic approach to the processes of the railway industry are reflected in the work of prof. V.M. Samsonkina, prof. V.I. Moiseenka and other authors. It should be noted that they have a somewhat narrowed, functional nature, as they relate to functional safety. In the systematic approach to the operation of the railway system, formed by Professor V.M. Samsonkin, it is considered as a kind of self-regulating substance with processes of homeostasis and homeoresis. The study proved that the methodology of a holistic approach, in which the activity is presented in the form of a structure of tasks that are solved by parts of an organized whole, provides a solution to the main problems of the theory of activity, and therefore is the main methodology that should be applied when modeling the enterprise. The methodology of the system approach is an auxiliary methodology in relation to the methodology of a holistic approach and provides the formation of specific models that are part of the enterprise model as an organized whole. The concept of “system” and “organized whole” are interconnected as a “part” - “whole”, that is, the system is part of the whole. It is proposed that each part of the organized whole be considered as a system whose activity is dedicated to solving a specific problem. An important problem is the problem of the formation of a mechanism to ensure compliance with the results solved by these parts (systems) of tasks. In the traditional approach to enterprise modeling, the composition and content of the processes that are implemented by this mechanism correspond to the functions that are implemented by the information management system. However, from the point of view of classical cybernetics, the task of ensuring the correspondence of the obtained result of activity to its project is considered as a problem of self-organization of the enterprise. At the same time, the task of forming the goal of the enterprise’s activity comes to the fore.

Differential effects of workplace stressors on innovation: An integrated perspective of cybernetics and coping.

It is now consensus that engaging in innovative work behaviours is not restricted to traditional innovation jobs (e.g., research and development), but that they can be performed on a discretionary basis in most of today's jobs. To date, our knowledge on the role of workplace stressors for discretionary innovative behaviour, in particular for innovation implementation is limited. We draw on a cybernetic view as well as on a transactional, coping-based perspective with stress to propose differential effects of stressors on innovation implementation. We propose that work demands have a positive effect on innovation implementation, whereas role-based stressors - i.e., role conflict, role ambiguity, and professional compromise - have a negative effect. We conducted a time-lagged, survey-based study in the health care sector (Study 1, UK: N = 235 nurses). Innovation implementation was measured two years after the assessment of the stressors. Supporting our hypotheses, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. We also tested organizational commitment as a mediator, but there was only partial support for the mediation. To test the generalizability of the findings, we replicated the study (Study 2, Germany: employees from various professions, N = 138, time lag 2 weeks). Again, work demands were positively, role ambiguity and professional compromise negatively related to subsequent innovation implementation. There was no support for strain as a mediator. Our results suggest differential effects of work demands and role stressors on innovation implementation, for which the underlying mechanism still needs to be uncovered.

A Social Cybernetic View of Violence and Some Paradoxes of Working with Violent Abusers

This paper commences with a theoretical underpinning of the nature of violence from a social cybernetic perspective, exploring the interactions between parts and wholes where boundaries are transgressed or vital flows are disrupted. A case study of Rangi, a perpetrator of family violence, who is a hypothetical composite of people the author has worked with over the years, demonstrates how cybernetic principles can be used to understand the nature of human violence on an individual level and inform ways of working with clients aiming to reduce the frequency and severity of violence in their lives and the people around them. The focus then shifts to structural violence imposed on the parts of the system by the whole. First, this is examined at a societal level, then returning to the case study of Rangi, there is an exploration of structural violence within the criminal justice system revealing paradoxes to be confronted in working with violent clients.;

Tumour chemotherapy strategy based on impulse control theory.

Chemotherapy is a widely accepted method for tumour treatment. A medical doctor usually treats patients periodically with an amount of drug according to empirical medicine guides. From the point of view of cybernetics, this procedure is an impulse control system, where the amount and frequency of drug used can be determined analytically using the impulse control theory. In this paper, the stability of a chemotherapy treatment of a tumour is analysed applying the impulse control theory. The globally stable condition for prescription of a periodic oscillatory chemotherapeutic agent is derived. The permanence of the solution of the treatment process is verified using the Lyapunov function and the comparison theorem. Finally, we provide the values for the strength and the time interval that the chemotherapeutic agent needs to be applied such that the proposed impulse chemotherapy can eliminate the tumour cells and preserve the immune cells. The results given in the paper provide an analytical formula to guide medical doctors to choose the theoretical minimum amount of drug to treat the cancer and prevent harming the patients because of over-treating.This article is part of the themed issue 'Horizons of cybernetical physics'.

PREFIJO CIBER: ARQUEOLOGÍA DE SU PRESENCIA EN LA SOCIEDAD DEL CONOCIMIENTO

This paper was proposed in the framework of the epistemologica! foundations of the Guane (Systemic Thinking) and Cibercultura y Territorio (Studies in Science, Technology and Society) research topics belonged the Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia and it is the result of a bibliographic review that was search principal key, words preceded by prefix. We exposed here an archaeology of the prefix which is used refer everything that has something do with the internet or automation process. Piedra (2011) attributed Beer pointed out the overused of this prefix and stated that: It's a shame that its popular use has taken the root cover everything from the cyber-man and cyber-dogs, cyber-cafes and even, cyberspace. We found that, from the archeology made, that homeostasis and feedback appear as fundamental principles of organization in nature, this fact allows a cybernetic view of the natural and artificial world; also we observed indiscriminate use of concepts related prefix , in common dialect as in academic discourse. In the first part of the text, we set out the founding principles of cybernetics, related the biology and control theory; in the second part, we outline the idea of cybernetics and its different stages of development. We end with some applications of the prefix cyber to identify some apocryphal and authentic uses. We conclude with some considerations that allows the reader ask him/herself about the use and abuse of this prefix.

A cybernetic view on learning curves and energy policy

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that cybernetic theory explains learning curves and sets the curves as legitimate and efficient tools for a pro-active energy technology policy.Design/methodology/approach– The learning system is a non-trivial machine that is kept in non-equilibrium steady state at minimum entropy production by competitive, equilibrium markets. The system has operational closure and the learning curve expresses its eigenbehaviour. This eigenbehaviour is analysed not in calendar time but in the characteristic time of the system, i.e., its eigentime. Measured in eigentime, the minimum entropy production in the steady-state learning system is constant. The double closure mechanism described by Heinz von Förster makes it possible for the learning system to change (adapt) its eigenbehaviour without compromising its operational closure.Findings– By obeying basic laws of second order cybernetics and of non-equilibrium thermodynamics the learning system self-organises its learning to follow an optimal path described by the learning curve. The learning rates are obtained through an operator formalism and the results explain observed distributions. Application to solar cell (photo-voltaic) modules indicates that the silicon scarcity bubble 2005-2008 produced excess entropy corresponding to costs of the order of 100 billion US dollars.Research limitations/implications– Grounding technology learning and learning curves in cybernetics and non-equilibrium thermodynamics open up new possibilities to understand technology shifts through radical innovations or paradigm changes.Practical implications– Learning curves are legitimate and efficient tools for energy policy and industrial strategy.Originality/value– Grounding of technology learning and learning curves in cybernetic and thermodynamic theory provides a stable theoretical basis for applications in industry and policy.

Personality and action control: BAS Reward predicts motor control accuracy

Theoretically, the processes involved in approach motivation and action control should overlap. In both cases, a person must commit to a goal, identify a goal target, and seek to reduce discrepancies between the self and this goal target on a somewhat continuous basis. These ideas motivated three studies (total N=253) in which personality differences in the behavioral approach system (BAS) and the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) were assessed as potential predictors of performance in an objective motor control task. People high in BAS Reward had markedly better motor control (i.e., smaller distances from targets) than people low in BAS Reward. This was true across a variety of affective priming conditions. The other components of BAS and BIS, by contrast, were inconsistent predictors. The results support both reward-based and functional perspectives of the BAS in the context of a cybernetic view of how self-regulation by approach operates.

The No Free Lunch Theorem and hypothesis of instinctive animal behavior

The problem of knowledge acquisition in animals is considered from the point of view of cybernetics. We show that all typesof animal behavior can be consistently explained on the basis of innate behavior programs and the creation of new behaviorprograms is logically inconsistent. The hypothesis that all animal behavior is completely innate is proposed. As a possiblephysical implementation of the storage of congenital programs, we considered quantum entanglement of biologically importantmolecules. Experiments to test hypotheses are proposed.

The Cybernetic Hypothesis

Taking inspiration from Tiqqun’s 2001 text “The Cybernetic Hypothesis,” this essay examines the relationship between digital technology and scholarly research methods. A definition of the cybernetic hypothesis is presented by way of a series of historical investigations into the work of Lewis Richardson, Warren Weaver, John von Neumann, and Paul Otlet. Cybernetics is defined thus in terms of a broad set of assumptions and techniques influencing society and culture at large. These assumptions and techniques include an epistemology rooted in arrays or systems containing discrete entities, the organization of entities into systems, and the regularization of difference or asymmetry within the system overall. After having presented this view of cybernetics, the author examines the challenges and problems such a paradigm presents to scholarly research methods including contemporary developments in the digital humanities. These challenges and problems are grouped into two sets of terms: hegemony, recapitulation, and symmetry; and ideology, deskilling, and proletarianization. What kind of intellectual work is possible after the rise of digital media? Examining some aspects of contemporary technology and critical theory, this essay serves both as a meditation on the contemporary cybernetic world and as a proposal for what ought to be done about it.

General Information Models of Intelligent Building Control Systems: Basic Concepts, Determination and the Reasoning

In the paper the problem of the general information simulation of the building control intelligent systems from the point of view of abstract cybernetics is examined. There are represented some resonings about the state and the prospects for practice and scientific studies in the field of constructing Building Intelligence. There are examined the questions and the resonings, connected with the determination of the key concepts of the construction Building Intelligence: control of object (building), the stability of object (building), the homeostat of object (building).

General Information Models of Intelligent Building Control Systems: Scientific Problem and Hypothesis

In the paper the problem of the general information simulation of the building control intelligent systems from the point of view of abstract cybernetics is examined. There are represented some resonings about the state and the prospects for practice and scientific studies in the field of constructing Building Intelligence. There are examined the questions and the resonings, connected with the determination of the key concepts of the construction Building Intelligence: control of object (building), the stability of object (building), the homeostat of object (building).

Digital Bangladesh

The present fever to launch an extensive digitalization program is sweeping the Bangladesh political, business, and elitist minds. In the face of an overarching outlook of sustainable development the Bangladesh digitalization program runs into some grave questions. The paper points out that ethics as a strongly endogenous force in development is indispensable to keep in view the simultaneity of attaining growth and social justice. These targets are variously manifested in different sectors and quarters of the beneficiaries of growth and development. In this perspective, various comparative works in the literature are invoked toward establishing the essential national wellbeing for alleviating poverty. Wellbeing is established by participative complementarities between economic growth and social justice and their disaggregate manifestations. The digital good must therefore be understood as a socially inclusive empowering good, not as an element of traditional economic theory wherein only efficiency, and thus globalization and maximization behavior, turn out to be of sole attention. The paper introduces a new model upholding participative complementary synergy, learning, and unification by an epistemic guidance of development ethics. Such a model invokes a system and cybernetic approach that combines in an innovative way the analytical with the system and cybernetic view of development. Various facts and figures relating to Bangladesh vis-à-vis development are expounded to establish the case.