cybernetics and capitalism

From: Mike Cole (mcole@weber.ucsd.edu)
Date: Mon Jul 09 2001 - 08:30:58 PDT


Martin-- This is a new thought to me:

- Cybernetic theory interprets social, psychological, and biological
processes in terms of feedback loops and control loops
- It is not neutral, it privileges mechanic over holistic thinking;
cognition over intuition, calculative over deliberate life.

First of all, I never thought that Bateson was "loopy." Unusually curious
and open, but why loopy?

Second, and most relevant to the quoted segment, why do feedback looks
and control loops necessarily privilege mechanic over holistic, cognition
over intuition, calculative over deliberative? And where do THOSE
oppositions come from? cognition is usually contrasted with emotional.
Doesn't deliberation imply some sort of calculation, or is the meaning
of calculation limited in some specific way here?

There is also the question for me of cybernetics as world view (or
mechanism, or reductionism) versus these terms as restricted analytic
tools for getting work done, with recognition that they are not the whole
story.

I am probably jumping in late with too little understanding, but if you
would point me back at relevant messages, I would check them out.
mike



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