[1]Principia Cybernetica Web

                       Principia Cybernetica Electronic Library

   This electronic library provides free, downloadable copies of basic books on
   cybernetics and systems science.
     ____________________________________________________________________________

   There are relatively few good books on the domain of [2]cybernetics and systems.
   Moreover, many of those books are out of print, and therefore difficult to find.
   As part of the Principia Cybernetica mission of making cybernetics and systems
   thinking better known, we have decided to republish some of these books
   electronically, so that everybody can profit from their ideas. Most of the books
   we selected are broad in scope, non-technical, and require little or no
   mathematics.

   The following books are as yet available in our library:
     * [3]Claude E.Shannon (1948), "[4]A mathematical theory of communication," Bell
       System Technical Journal, vol. 27, pp. 379-423 and 623-656, July and October,
       1948.
       A long, technical paper proposing the foundations of what was to become the
       theory of information. (A [externallink.GIF] [5]note on this edition is
       available elsewhere.)
     * [6]W. Ross Ashby (1956): [7]An Introduction to Cybernetics, (Chapman & Hall,
       London).
       Still the only real textbook on cybernetics and systems, explaining the basic
       principles with simple mathematics and exercises. In spite of its age, the
       thinking behind this classic is still very modern.
     * Ashby, W. R. (1960). [externallink.GIF] [8]Design for a Brain: The Origin of
       Adaptive Behavior. Wiley.
     * Ashby, W. R. (1981). [9]Mechanisms of intelligence: AshbyÕs writings on
       cybernetics. Intersystems Publications.
     * [10]Magoroh Maruyama (1963): The Second Cybernetics: Deviation-Amplifying
       Mutual Causal Processes, American Scientist 5:2, pp. 164--179.
       A classic paper about the importance of positive feedback processes in causal
       networks
     * [11]Valentin Turchin (1977): "[12]The Phenomenon of Science. A cybernetic
       approach to human evolution" (Columbia University Press, New York).
       This is the book that introduced the [13]theory of metasystem transitions:
       the evolutionary emergence of levels of control, from unicellular organisms
       to human culture and society.
     * [externallink.GIF] [14]Joël de Rosnay (1979): "[15]The Macroscope. A new
       world scientific system", (Harper & Row, New York).
       An easy to read introduction to the systems view of the world: background and
       basic concepts, illustrated by examples in organisms, economy and ecology.
     * [16]Francis Heylighen (1990): [17]Representation and Change. A
       Metarepresentational Framework for the Foundations of Physical and Cognitive
       Science, (Communication & Cognition, Gent).
       A relatively non-technical analysis, inspired by systems theory, of the
       abstract, cognitive structures behind basic theories of physics such as
       quantum mechanics and relativity theory.
     * Aerts, D., Apostel L., De Moor B., Hellemans S., Maex E., Van Belle H., Van
       Der Veken J. (1994), [18]Worldviews: From Fragmentation to Integration, (VUB
       Press, Brussels).
       A short book defining the concept of a "[19]world view" and emphasizing the
       need for interdisciplinary integration via a number of research proposals.
     * [externallink.GIF] [20]John E. Stewart (2000): [21]Evolution's Arrow: The
       direction of evolution and the future of humanity (Chapman Press, Australia)
       An important contribution to the theory of metasystem transitions, explaining
       how and why evolution progresses in the direction of cooperative systems of
       greater scale and evolvability, from molecules via single-cell and
       multicellular organisms up to global society.
     * F. Heylighen (2001): "[22]Complexiteit en Evolutie", lecture notes in Dutch
       for an introductory course at the VUB.

   In addition to these monographs, which discuss a specific subject in depth,
   Principia Cybernetica Web also offers a number of article collections:
     * American Society for Cybernetics (1984): "[23]Glossary on Cybernetics and
       Systems Theory" (unpublished report), now integrated into our hypertext
       "[24]Web Dictionary of Cybernetics and Systems"
     * Krippendorff K. (1986): "A Dictionary of Cybernetics", an 80 p. unpublished
       report, now integrated into our hypertext "[25]Web Dictionary of Cybernetics
       and Systems"
     * Heylighen F. (ed.) (1991): [26]Workbook of the 1st Principia Cybernetica
       Workshop (Principia Cybernetica, Brussels-New York).
       This booklet contains short articles and abstracts presented at the Workshop
       in Brussels. Paper copies are available from [27]F. Heylighen.
     * Heylighen F., Joslyn C. & Turchin V. (eds.) (1995) : [28]The Quantum of
       Evolution (special issue, Vol. 45:1-4, of "World Futures: the journal of
       general evolution, published by Gordon and Breach, New York).
       This volume is an edited collection of papers by invited authors on the
       [29]Theory of Metasystem Transitions.
     ____________________________________________________________________________

   [30]Copyright© 2014 Principia Cybernetica - [31]Referencing this page

   Author
   F. [32]Heylighen,

   Date
   Jul 29, 2014 (modified)
   Jun 8, 1999 (created)

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                                [34]Reference material

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   [37]Ashby's book "Introduction to Cybernetics"

   [38]"The Macroscope", a book on the systems approach

   [39]"The Phenomenon of Science", a book on MSTT

   [40]About "Representation and Change"

   [41]Special Issue on "The Quantum of Evolution"

   [42]Workbook of the 1st Principia Cybernetica Workshop
   ____________________________________________________________________________

                                    [43]Discussion
     ____________________________________________________________________________

     * [44]Book suggestion, Comment by Rolf Nordlund
     * [45]Hey, where is Wiener?, Comment by Edward Daniel Bukowski, PhD, MD

                                  [46]Add comment...

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References

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  39. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/POSBOOK.html
  40. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/THESIS.html
  41. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/WFISSUE.html
  42. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Papers/Workbook.html
  43. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MAKANNOT.html
  44. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Annotations/LIBRARY.0.html
  45. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Annotations/LIBRARY.1.html
  46. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/hypercard.acgi$annotform?

[USEMAP]
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   5. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SERVER.html
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   7. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/RECENT.html
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   9. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SEARCH.html