[1]Principia Cybernetica Web

                      Ashby's book "Introduction to Cybernetics"

   W. Ross Ashby (1956): [2]An Introduction to Cybernetics, (Chapman & Hall,
   London): now available electronically.
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   [ashby-big.jpg] Principia Cybernetica has selected Ashby's "Introduction to
   Cybernetics" as a classic book that deserved to be published again
   electronically. The original version has been out of print for many years. A few
   copies may still be found in libraries or ordered through the [externallink.GIF]
   [3]Amazon bookshop. However, we believe that the book is so important that it
   should reach an as wide audience as possible. The best medium to achieve that
   seemed to be the world-wide web. This publication has been made possible largely
   through Mick Ashby, the author's grandson, who has convinced the copyright
   holders (the Ashby estate) that they should allow us to produce an electronic
   version.

   [4]W. Ross Ashby is one of the founding fathers of both [5]cybernetics and
   systems theory. He developed such fundamental ideas as the homeostat, [6]the law
   of requisite variety, the [7]principle of self-organization, and the [8]principle
   of regulatory models. Many of these insights were already proposed in the 1940's
   and 1950's, long before the presently propular "[9]complex adaptive systems"
   approach arrived at very similar conclusions. Whereas the concepts surrounding
   the complexity movement are often complicated and confused, Ashby's ideas are
   surprisingly clear and simple, yet deep and universal.

   [WRAshby1955.jpg]

   Photo: W.R. Ashby, dec. 1955, Stanford (Copyleft. 2002. No Rights Reserved)

   This elegance of thought is illustrated in particular by the present book, which
   is still the only real textbook on cybernetics (and, one might add, system
   theory). It explains the basic principles with concrete examples, elementary
   mathematics and exercises for the reader. It does not require any mathematics
   beyond the basic high school level. Although simple, the book formulates
   principles at a high level of abstraction. For more concrete and extensive
   illustrations of systems principles, you may refer to our other electronic books,
   "[10]The Macroscope" and "[11]The Phenomenon of Science". For a similar abstract,
   high-level, but technically simple approach, this time to physics, you can check
   "[12]Representation and Change".

   The electronic version of Ashby's book has been formatted as a [13]PDF file (1.9
   Mb), with two pages of the original book per printed A4 page. This format,
   although it can be read on-screen, is basically meant for printing out. The
   print-out will be similar to the original book, including the original figures,
   formulas, answers to exercises, table of contents and index. You can read or
   print it with the [externallink.GIF] [14]free PDF reader from Adobe.

Table of Contents

   1: WHAT IS NEW
   The peculiarities of cybernetics
   The uses of cybernetics

   PART ONE: MECHANISM
   2: CHANGE
   Transformation
   Repeated change
   3: THE DETERMINATE MACHINE
   Vectors
   4: THE MACHINE WITH INPUT
   Coupling systems
   Feedback
   Independence within a whole
   The very large system
   5: STABILITY
   Disturbance
   Equilibrium in part and whole
   6: THE BLACK BOX
   Isomorphic machines
   Homomorphic machines
   The very large Box
   The incompletely observable Box

   PART TWO: VARIETY
   7: QUANTITY OF VARIETY
   Constraint
   Importance of constraint
   Variety in machines
   Transmission from system to system
   Transmission through a channel
   9: INCESSANT TRANSMISSION
   The Markov chain
   Entropy
   Noise

   PART THREE: REGULATION AND CONTROL
   10: REGULATION IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
   Survival
   11: REQUISITE VARIETY
   The law
   Control
   Some variations
   12: THE ERROR-CONTROLLED REGULATOR
   The Markovian machine
   Markovian regulation
   Determinate regulation
   The power amplifier
   Games and strategies
   13: REGULATING THE VERY LARGE SYSTEM
   Repetitive disturbance
   Designing the regulator
   Quantity of selection
   Selection and machinery
   14: AMPLIFYING REGULATION
   What is an amplifier?
   Amplification in the brain
   Amplifying intelligence

   REFERENCES
   ANSWERS TO EXERCISES
   INDEX
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   [15]Copyright© 2003 Principia Cybernetica - [16]Referencing this page

   Author
   F. [17]Heylighen,

   Date
   Oct 14, 2003 (modified)
   Jun 8, 1999 (created)

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                                    [23]Discussion
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     * [24]Mechanisms of Intelligence, Comment by John Waters

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References

   1. LYNXIMGMAP:http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASHBBOOK.html#PCP-header
   2. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf
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   5. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CYBSYSTH.html
   6. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/REQVAR.html
   7. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASC/PRINCI_SELF-.html
   8. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASC/Law_model.html
   9. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CAS.html
  10. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MACRBOOK.html
  11. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/POSBOOK.html
  12. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/THESIS.html
  13. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf
  14. http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html
  15. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/COPYR.html
  16. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/REFERPCP.html
  17. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
  18. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html
  19. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/REFERMAT.html
  20. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/LIBRARY.html
  21. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/LIBRAPAP.html
  22. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/WFISSUE.html
  23. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MAKANNOT.html
  24. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Annotations/ASHBBOOK.0.html
  25. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/hypercard.acgi$annotform?

[USEMAP]
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASHBBOOK.html#PCP-header
   1. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html
   2. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HOWWEB.html
   3. http://pcp.lanl.gov/ASHBBOOK.html
   4. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ASHBBOOK.html
   5. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SERVER.html
   6. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/hypercard.acgi$randomlink?searchstring=.html
   7. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/RECENT.html
   8. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/TOC.html#ASHBBOOK
   9. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SEARCH.html