Microdose - Cybernetics & Systems Theory

Norbert Wiener's 'Cybernetics' is a seminal work that laid the theoretical foundations for the multidisciplinary field of cybernetics. It examines the flow of information in systems with feedback loops, whether biological, mechanical, cognitive, or social. The book is both philosophical and technical, discussing concepts like Newtonian and Bergsonian time and the impact of noise on homeostasis. The 1961 second edition includes supplementary chapters on learning and self-organizing systems.

Autopoiesis and Cognition, the Realization of the Living', authored by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, delves into the concept of autopoiesis, the self-producing and self-maintaining processes of living systems. The book explores how living organisms create and sustain their own organization and structure through continuous interaction with their environment. Maturana and Varela examine the relationship between autopoiesis and cognition, proposing that cognition arises from the self-referential dynamics of living systems. It challenges traditional views of cognition as an input-output process, emphasizing the role of internal organization and autonomy in shaping perception and action. This foundational work has influenced fields such as biology, cybernetics, and cognitive science.