Neo-Cybernetics: Navigating Complexity, Designing Tomorrow

Neo-Cybernetics is a novel interdisciplinary movement at the forefront of the third wave of cybernetics, dedicated to studying the complex dynamics of human society, technological change and the ecosystems we are immersed in.

Dear readers, explorers and system thinkers,

I’m thrilled to inaugurate our Medium publication dedicated to the world of neo-cybernetics.

This article serves as both an introduction and an invitation.

Within these lines, I aim to provide a succinct overview of what neo-cybernetics entails and its relevance in navigating the complexities of the metamodern era.

In brief, Neo-Cybernetics is an emerging multidisciplinary movement dedicated to navigating the systemic intricacies of our world.

It seeks not only to understand but also to design and guide the evolution of natural, social and artificial systems amidst rapidly changing, complex environments.

This Medium publication will be one of our gathering places for the Neo-Cybernetics community. It’s where we share insights, models, frameworks, case studies, and personal experiences related to neo-cybernetics.

We want to build a strong and active community where everyone can learn and share. We aspire to attract thinkers, designers, researchers, engineers and futurists who share the passion for understanding, designing, and guiding the evolution of systems in mindful and innovative ways.

Whether you’re an expert or just curious, we invite you to join the conversation and help us shape the future of neo-cybernetics.

Now, let’s dive in to discover the principles and practices of neo-cybernetics.

A Few Words on Cybernetics

The seeds of cybernetics were sown during the late 1940s, a period marked by rapid advancements in various scientific disciplines. This multidisciplinary field was conceived in the crucible of the Macy Conferences, where luminaries from diverse backgrounds converged, including Norbert Wiener, Warren McCulloch, John von Neumann, Margaret Mead, and Arturo Rosenblueth among others.

The term “cybernetics,” derived from the Greek word “kubernētēs” meaning “steersman” or “governor,” encapsulated the core essence of the discipline: understanding control and communication in machines and living organisms.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, cybernetics experienced a golden era, influencing numerous fields such as biology, psychology, and even social sciences. Its principles underscored the interplay of feedback loops and self-regulation, highlighting the interconnected nature of systems and their adaptive capabilities.

To delve deeper into the evolution of the discipline, it is quite important to distinguish between first-order and second-order cybernetics:

First order cybernetics emerged in the 1940s-1960s and was associated with scientists like Norbert Wiener. It adopted a mechanistic, behaviorist view of systems and humans, seeking to mathematically model and control processes. Drawing on servomechanisms and feedback loops, it aimed to predict and direct the behavior of machines, organisms, and humans alike. While interdisciplinary, first order cybernetics’ militaristic and reductive tendencies led to its decline.

Second order cybernetics arose in the 1970s-80s as a response, with thinkers like von Foerster and Maturana critiquing earlier approaches. Second order cybernetics focused more on recursion, circularity, and the role of the observer in influencing systems. It adopted biological and ecological perspectives, exploring the reflexive, autopoietic nature of living systems. However, its emphasis on autonomous systems led to neglect of connections between organisms, environments, and technology.

As the decades passed, the prominence of the discipline began to fade.

The advent of specialized disciplines, growing in silos, often overshadowed the holistic approach of cybernetics. Its broad scope became both its strength and its Achilles’ heel, as the focus of the academic and industrial world shifted to more narrowly defined areas of study.

Despite its decline in prominence, the essence of cybernetics remained latent, subtly influencing a plethora of fields but often under different terminologies and banners.

Restoring a Forgotten Science

Neo-cybernetics emerges as a natural progression of first and second orders of cybernetics.

We place ourselves within the third wave of cybernetics by embracing the challenges of the 21st century, and integrating advancements in technology, design, ecology and futures studies that have been introduced over the last 50 years.

Our goal is to provide a fresh take on a proven discipline, ensuring relevance in an age of overwhelming complexity and rapid change.

To do so, we adopt a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach focused on the co-evolution of humans, machines, and environments.

We integrate first order mechanisms with second order recursion and biological perspectives.

With the establishment of our community we intend to mark a reflexive evolution that explores human-computer-environmental fusion through system lenses.

Holistic Approach

At its core, neo-cybernetics merges systems thinking, design thinking, ecological thinking and futures thinking to study structures, evolutionary patterns and emergent behaviours in complex adaptive systems.

This holistic approach offers a multi-dimensional insight into complex systems, enabling the creation of models, designs and strategies that are grounded in profound comprehension, while also directing them towards future-proof and resilient solutions, overcoming limitations of previous cybernetics orders.

By harnessing the capabilities of modern technology and the transformative power of generative AI we aim to foster a genuinely interdisciplinary ethos, reshaping our understanding of systems and networks and offering insights that are both deep and wide-ranging.

Community & Collaboration

The Neo-Cybernetics community aspires to be a dynamic, global, and open nexus of researchers, engineers, designers, philosophers, futurists, and thinkers.

We firmly advocate for open access to technology and knowledge, ensuring that they are not just available but accessible to all, regardless of their geographical or economic status. Our vision is rooted in the power of collaboration, actively bridging cultural gaps and facilitating a confluence of diverse perspectives and expertise.

While we emphasize the importance of understanding macro cultural narratives, we equally respect the nuances and richness of micro cultural layers, acknowledging that each has its own unique contributions and lessons. By harmonizing these layers, we aim to create a more inclusive and comprehensive dialogue.

This approach not only enriches our collective knowledge but also directs us toward innovative solutions that cater to the landscape of humanity’s needs and aspirations.

Our Mission

To steer systems with insight and intention, to make sense of complexity, and to craft futures that are sustainable, equitable, and adaptive. Through research, design, dialogue, and community engagement, we aim to create a world where systems serve humanity and the planet in the best possible way.

Why do we need Neo-Cybernetics?

In the dawn of the 5th industrial revolution, the world stands at a critical point. As systems intertwine in complex patterns that go beyond the view of a reductionist view of the world, the challenges that arise need to be address through holistic lenses. Navigating these requires going beyond traditional methodologies, considering an evolved, multidimensional approach that is formalized in a discipline and rooted in an open community of researchers and professionals.

The Neo-Cybernetics movement offers exactly this.

In an era where both breadth (horizontal skills) and depth (vertical skills) of understanding are crucial, we plan train a generation of researchers and professionals who are adept at moving through both dimensions. They will possess the versatility to grasp overarching system dynamics while delving into the nuanced intricacies of specialized areas by leveraging information science techniques and Artificial Intelligence.

The discipline also recognizes that innovation and progress, while laudable, should not come at the expense of our planet or mental well-being as it has been happening over the last few decades.

With the rampant pace of technological advancements, unexpected crises often emerge, casting ripples through our ecological, economic and psychological landscapes.

The new generation of cyberneticians that will emerge from our movement will not just be passive observers, but they will stand as proactive stewards of positive systemic change. They will assess the potential repercussions of innovations, ensuring that advancements are harmonized with ecological preservation, economic fairness and mental well-being.

Our modern challenges are multifaceted; they touch upon economic, technological, ecological, and human dimensions.

In response, neo-cybernetics provides a comprehensive toolkit to approach them.

The discipline intends to create a community of professionals equipped not only to research but also to mindfully implement innovation, striking a balance between progress and preservation.

Call to Action

In a world that grows more interconnected and multifaceted each day, where existential threats like rogue AI, climate change, and the specter of nuclear winter loom large, neo-cybernetics intends to stand as a beacon, illuminating pathways and provide support to governments, organizations, businesses and communities to navigate modern challenges and design resilient systems.

It will not just offer analytical tools but also provide theoretical models and operational frameworks for shaping the very evolution of systems, guiding them towards harmony, resilience, and prosperity.

As we delve deeper into this age of technological and scientific breakthroughs and global uncertainties, neo-cybernetics provides a lens to perceive, understand, and influence the emergent patterns that are all around us.

If you are interested in diving deeper into the foundations of the discipline, we invite you to explore version 0.5 of the Neo-Cybernetics Manifesto.

You can also express your interest in joining or following the community by completing this form.

Feel free to share this and our future articles with friends and colleagues who may be interested in our topics.

Together, let’s lay the foundations of neo-cybernetics and and set forth on a path that redefines how we perceive, design, and steer our collective destiny.

Be a part of this journey, for in unity, we propel humanity forward.