BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

MAP TERRITORY RELATION 2)3)

A. KORZYBSKI's "map territory" metaphor is fundamental to the understanding of homomorphisms and isomorphisms in General Systems Research.

KORZYBSKI stated: "Two important characteristics of maps should be noticed. A map is not the territory it represents but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness" (1933, p.58).

Thereafter, KORZYBSKI transfers this understanding to languages: "If we reflect upon our languages, we find that at best they must be considered only as maps. A word is not the object it represents; and languages exhibit also this peculiar self-reflexiveness, that we can analyse languages by linguistic means. This self-reflexiveness of languages introduces serious complexities, which can be solved only by the theory of multiordinality" (Ibid).

That the word is not the object is made perfectly clear by G. BATESON's example: "The word 'cat' cannot scratch us" (1973, p.153) and also from the following humorous A.N. WHITEHEAD"s comment, quoted by KORZYBSKI: "The appeal to a class to perform the services of a proper entity is exactly analogous to an appeal to an imaginary terrier to kill a real rat" (1933, p.247).

As to theory of multiordinality, it is quite close to RUSSELL's theory of logical types.

Confounding the "map" with the "territory" leads generally to dire consequences, as well as using an incorrectly structured "map", whether geographic, linguistic or conceptual. The subject has also been reworked by H.von FOERSTER through his Cybernetics of 2d order (1981).

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]


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