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

PERCEPTUAL CONTROL THEORY 1)2)5)

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Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) (in living beings) has been introduced by W.T. POWERS, who states that it "was originally inspired by the work of the early cybernetists (WIENER and ASHBY primarily)" (from POWERS internet page).

However, PCT presents a much more elaborated view of controlling as related to a wide variety of perceptions in living beings. This is still more so in human beings who are willful controllers. Their relationships with their environment is not merely biological, nor limited to "here and now". On the contrary, they are so complex as to need a very high degree of interrelation and interpretation. This is provided by physiological sensors of different kinds (now moreover aided by an array of enhancing artificial devices), and by the hypercomplex organization of neural networks.

POWERS introduces new notions to cover these aspects, under others environment functions, reference conditions and discriminative stimuli. He also expands the meaning of amplification, control and purpose.

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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