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Keywords Communication, Cybernetics, Systems theory
Abstract 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 reminds the reader of the cybernetic dream, the related aspirations in the fields of cognitive science and social theory and the overall aim of the unity of science movement. It briefly argues that ignoring communication and adopting continuous systems as its class of systems for theory construction (CSTC) was bound to lead cybernetics to the abandonment of its dream and points out that cognitive science may well be heading the same way. A proposed conception of communication that is both rich enough to be used as a unifying theoretical construct and general enough to cut across all disciplines studying "communication". On that basis some major implications are outlined. The paper concludes with a brief note on the impact of our conception of communication on the structure of human society.
1. Introduction
Despite its successes and impact on a host of other disciplines, cybernetics failed to live up to its dream as an interdisciplinary field unifying all the phenomena within the vast space of animals and machines. The reason, I submit, was twofold. First, it ignored one of its two fundamental concepts, namely, communication. Second, it adopted an inadequate class of systems for theory construction (CSTC).
Cognitive science adopted the interdisciplinary nature of cybernetics and brought in a major new CSTC, programming systems. Unfortunately, it kept ignoring communication and the added CSTC, although appropriate for relatively simple phenomena within the space of intelligent systems, it is inadequate for the complex part of that space.
Section 2 reminds us of the cybernetic dream, the related aspirations in the fields of cognitive science and social theory and the overall aim of the unity of science movement; we briefly argue that ignoring communication and adopting continuous systems as its CSTC was bound to lead cybernetics to the abandonment of its dream; and we point out that cognitive science may well be heading the same way. Section 3 proposes a conception of communication that is both rich enough to be used as a unifying theoretical construct and general enough to cut across all...