The document discusses the past 50 years since the beginnings of cybernetics and its transformation of human evolution. It summarizes that cybernetics opened the floodgates to the information revolution but focused more on engineered systems than living systems. While technology advanced greatly, relying solely on artificial intelligence risks repeating dysfunctional patterns of thought. The next 50 years of cybernetics requires exploring living systems and evolutionary openings for humans by moving beyond an information age to an age of intelligence and communications that sees mind as permeating all systems. Three tasks are proposed: identifying important problems, forming innovation outposts to study living systems, and creating public narratives exploring cybernetics' insights.

1. The Road Not Taken: Cybernetics’ Half Century of
Transforming Human Evolution
Lowell F. Christy Jr. Ph.D. Cultural Strategies Institute
Abstract: The Cybernetic Revolution changed the way we think. Beginning in the 1940-50s Cybernetic
insights,perspectivesand thoughtpatternsresulted in flood gatesof theinformation revolution opening
with its stream of computers, robots, iPhones, GPS, drones and guided missiles. The motivation of the
early Cyberneticians, reeling from the horrors of global systems collapse in World War II and economic
depression,wasthesearch for new ways to see and act in the world more intelligently. Moving humans
from sole reliance on linear cause and effect and a Newtonian Universe of force against force,
cybernetics sought the means of navigation in a complex highly interconnected and interrelated
universe. Seeking governing principles of systems, latent structures within communications and how
Natureregulated its own complexity,thissmall group of concerned citizens explored systemicpatternsof
information and circuits in both machines and living systems.
Etching their understanding of Cybernetics in stone, the legacy of the first fifty years created the Silicon
Revolution of engineered systemsbased technologies.Thismachinesideof cybernetics grew rapidly with
a two Trillion Dollar R&D infusion during the S & T competition of the Cold War, while the living systems
and human side of the equation withered. It was Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson of this small
group of pioneering thinkers who warned of the power of cyber machines driving us faster than our
headlights of understanding could illuminate. Inevitable massive collisions and systemic collapse since
2000 only fore shadowa futurewhen thepowerof cyberneticsno longerempowersourown institutional
and group thinking.
The lesson is clear. Even with the miracles of cybernetic, “smart” tools, when in service of the rationality
that produced the tragedy of the 20th
Century, those same systemic and dysfunctional patterns of
thoughtwill be repeated..There is an Unfinished Revolution by solely relying on the half-born Cybernetic
Revolution of artificial intelligence, “human-like’ and machine-based thinking tools. With the American
Cybernetics Society celebrating its 50th
anniversary on 05 August 2014, it is time to explore the road not
taken. The proposed experimentaljourney to improveoursteerageamidsta sea of changewould include
living systems and evolutionary openings for the most unnatural of natural animals - humans.
“The worst most corrupting lie is a problempoorly stated.” Georges Bernanos

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The next 50 years in the journey of Cybernetics transforming human evolution
requires its practitioners cast aside its whining that the living systems sideof
systems “Justcan’tget no respect’ nor expect to be rewarded by the very
institutions we criticize. Using our current state of cybernetics to producethings,
its, bits and bytes provides that arm’s length, safe distance, supporting the myth
that we control “those things.” Advancing and bringing Cybernetic principles into
direct contact with human organizations and human thinking rapidly becomes
heretical by entering into sanctums and relationship structures whereeven
“angels fear to tread.”(1)
But resistance to change in applying what has been learned in our pursuitof
cybernetic machines only points to the persuasivepower of the current
Information AgeParadigm. Technological biased thinking is being challenged by
the differences between artificial intelligence and natural intelligence,
dissimilarities between how living systemand machine based systems process
information and the troubling focus of engineering trying to replicate the singular
human brain while the fact that we are communicating is based on a larger Mind
and Collective Intelligence. The Information AgeParadigm is breaking and no
longer has the sameexplanatory power.
Moving from the Information Ageto an Age of Communications with the goal of
ushering in an Age of Intelligence, requires that we pick up the thread of the early
Cybernetics movement which warned about relying solely on artificial intelligence
and engineered circuitry without including the power of systems thinking to
interconnected and interdependent living systems. Butmore than a “me too”
approach to living systems, wheresystems approaches to cybernetic embodied
information processing machinery like robots and computers is exactly the same
as living, sentient systems, thereis a deeper question. Is there a non-trivial
distinction between machines based on cybernetic principles and living
cybernetics? Is therea difference, which makes a difference, between artificial
circuitry creations and naturally occurring life forms based on DNA and (in most
cases) protein type living organisms?

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How can we change the structureof systems permitting more of whatis wanted
and less of what is undesirable? How can we make our Minds larger than the
problems at hand and the facts given? How can we transcend the conceit of
human-centric intelligence expanding our ideas of Mind into the corners of the
universeas well as the plant growing under our foot?
The set of ideas known as Cybernetics revealed the cutting edge of a highly
interconnected and interrelated universewhereintelligence exists beyond limited
human perspectives and permeates all systems. Thefirst50 years of Cybernetic
thinking moved humans fromseeing the world in terms of Simple Change of
creating objects in an IndustrialRevolution and moving objects in the Great Game
of colonies and empires. Onedimensional ideas of simple change, propelled by
cybernetic understandings, allowed ComplicatedChange of engineers to put a
man on the moon. Even though we can now create these engineered marvels of
technology there is a speed bump when we try to take the “Its, Bits and Bytes”
into the human domain of teaching Johnny to read and keeping Juan fromMS 13
gang/drug warfare. Complex Change requires 1) the heavy lifting of new ideas, 2)
the experimental platforms to probeliving systems and 3) networks of learning
within and outside the new Cybernetic pioneers.
Three Tasks need to be initiated A) Identifying Non-TrivialProblems - Mirroring
the power of a small group of diverse, concerned citizens found in the Macy
Foundation Meetings which helped launch the Cybernetics Revolution, a new
Living Systems focus series of meetings is required over severalyears. B)
Formation of “Outposts of Innovation” (2) to probestructuraldynamics of living
systems documenting through two page Innovation Briefs describing the “what”
and “how”. C) Public oriented “Comic/Manga” style graphic narratives exploring
the power of Cybernetic ideas and insights beyond the prison of our assumptions.
Theoretical underpinnings and practical applications will spin out of our rethinking
science from knowledge of nature to the nature of knowledge. Thetask is
grounding theoretical challenges testing “information,” “entropy,” “learning,”
“communications“ with an expanded notion of Mind in practical, experiments
exploring the sociallife of information. New ways of thinking are required to

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move the human experiment in positive alignment with the structureof Nature
and regulatory activities of Mind.
Notes: The abstract alludes to Danny Hillis’ book “The Pattern on the Stone: The
Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work.”
(1)Angels Fear: Towards An Epistemology Of The Sacred (Advances in Systems
Theory, Complexity, and the Human Science) (Advances in Systems Theory,
Complexity & the Human Sciences), December 30, 2004 by Gregory
Bateson (Author), Mary Catherine Bateson (Author)
(2)“Outposts of Innovation” is a term used by Douglas Engelbartwho
pioneered co-evolutionary strategies and human computer interfaces.
Douglas’ insights propelled Silicon Valley but only a small portion of his
genius havebeen manifest
Contact: lowellchristy@verizon.net 301 529-0474