Tag: cybernetics

Feedback loops are a fundamental structure in first-order cybernetics. Feedback might be thought of along two principal lines: Amplifying feedback — like a PA system Dampening feedback — like friction The classic example of a feedback loop is a furnace/thermostat/room assembly, where the furnace heats the room to a specified temperature. When the thermostat senses the… Continue reading Feedback

While equilibrium is often thought of as a stable or inert state of a system, this kind of equilibrium rarely exists. More often, what seems to be a static state of a system is an equilibrium in a dynamic state among two or more entities where the inflows and outflows are essentially equivalent. A common… Continue reading Equilibrium

Two participants engaged in iterative sequences of information exchange through a medium are participating in a conversation. The information exchange is most typically thought of as thinking, speaking, and listening. A conversation assumes a common language of sorts, and enough of a shared frame of reference that the conversants can make sense of one another.… Continue reading Conversation