Society for General Systems Research. Proc. Silver Annervary Meeting., 1979
Values and the process of valuation is an important issue for the system scientist. In this paper... more Values and the process of valuation is an important issue for the system scientist. In this paper an analysis is made to accommodate some aspects of the human valuation process that are often ignored by the system scientist. It is suggested that valuation is legitimately seen only in behaviour meeting specific criteria. The behaviour of purposeful systems is shown to meet these criteria. Valuation is then introduced, in contrast to logical inference, as a possible process whereby a purposeful system can achieve selection and direction of action.
Gives some personal impressions about Gordon Pask from the author's time working for him at Syste... more Gives some personal impressions about Gordon Pask from the author's time working for him at Systems Research Ltd and from time working together in the Department of Cybernetics, Brunel University. I worked with Gordon in one capacity or another on and off for 30 years. He was an extraordinary person and I cannot adequately capture this in what I write here. But I hope that what I say, added to what others report, will help in building a fuller picture of the man. I did a degree in physics but halfway through I got a little bored, mainly because physics seemed not to be addressing complex things like minds. I was attracted by the approach of physics but wanted to see its success repeated in new areas. I came across cybernetics in 1964 in the middle year of my degree and it seemed to offer an exciting way forward. Soon I had got hold of various books on the subject, including Gordon's An Approach to Cybernetics, and these had a significant impact on me, leading me to decide to make cybernetics a major part of my life. Some months later, in early 1965, I attended a lecture Gordon gave at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts, London). Afterwards I approached him about the possibility of a job when I completed my degree. He welcomed my interest and suggested I arrange a date with his secretary and come to talk to him at his firm, System Research in Richmond. Not knowing Gordon, I was pleased but surprised by his offer. Later, I realised that it was not so surprising. Gordon always made time for people who were interested in his work no matter what their background or status. He was amazingly generous with his time, particularly considering the work he took on and the tasks he set himself. After an informal yet challenging conversation with Gordon, and with no formality, he offered me a job as a research assistant. Because of a funding delay I did not start at System Research until early January 1966. On my first morning I arrived at the offices and labs, located above a laundrette in Hill Rise, Richmond, Surrey. The door was ajar but apparently no-one was about. I shouted "hello" and after a while an affable but rather vague middle-aged man appeared. This was Harry Moore, Gordon's faithful associate and old friend from his Cambridge days. It seemed clear that Harry had no idea who I was so I explained. I later discovered that this was pretty much typical of System Research-very informal and rather disorganized. Harry gave me a cup of coffee and explained that Gordon would not be down until the late afternoon as he had been working through the night and would have only gone to bed an hour or so earlier. He explained about Gordon's 48hour cycle: 36 hours working and 12hour sleeping, with the cycle being carefully regulated in proper cybernetic fashion with appropriate drugs. Harry briefly showed me around and told me to make myself at home upstairs in and labs and research offices, and to read up on anything that looked relevant. Upstairs, the first room I looked into was a shock. It was incredibly dusty and untidy-papers piled all over the place, scattered piles of tobacco tins, various electrical and mechanical gadgetry, and several piles of pipe-tobacco ash in various sorts of ashtrays. I asked Harry about the room and he explained that it was Gordon's study. It was not at that time much used by Gordon-he mostly
This paper argues for a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the currently dominant determi... more This paper argues for a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the currently dominant deterministic metaphysics of science.
The nature of change, especially creational change, is vital to the management of all types of hu... more The nature of change, especially creational change, is vital to the management of all types of human systems.
This paper argues for the development of a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the determi... more This paper argues for the development of a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the deterministic metaphysics of current science. Deterministic ideas are analysed to show the underlying assumptions and alternative assumptions are then proposed which allow an indeterministic view of aspects of nature.
Frank George-a personal appreciation I came across the name of Frank George in 1963, very soon af... more Frank George-a personal appreciation I came across the name of Frank George in 1963, very soon after I discovered the existence of cybernetics, in my second year as an undergraduate student studying physics. Six years later I met him for the first time and then the next year I was working with him on one of his several research projects, this one being a Government and ICL supported investigation into the way site engineers diagnosed computer faults. Later still, in 1972, I joined the Department of Cybernetics at Brunel University as a lecturer where Frank was Professor and head of department. I have remained both a colleague and a friend ever since. But now he has died and I, and his many friends, past students and colleagues will miss him greatly. Frank Honeywill George was born on 2 nd May 1921 and died 10 September 1997, leaving a very dear wife, Jacqueline, and two daughters. He was one of the British pioneers of cybernetics. I remember him telling me of the extraordinary intellectual excitement he experienced when he first read Norbert Wiener's newly published Cybernetics while he was up at Cambridge in the late 1940s. It was this book, which introduced the new science to the world, that changed Frank's life and led him to devote his exceptional ability and energy to cybernetics. Frank had come to Cambridge late, like many who had been caught up in the war. Frank served in the RAF first as a fighter pilot and then as an instructor, and ended up as a flight lieutenant in the position of station adjutant. After the war he went to Sidney Sussex College and took a double first in mathematics and moral sciences. His aim was to pursue cybernetics via an academic career but he realised, very early on, the significance of cybernetic thinking to industry and government and he also wanted to ensure it would make its proper impact in these spheres. His first academic post was at Bristol University in the Department of Philosophy and Psychology. He was there for 15 years, but this included sabbatical and study leave abroad on visiting professorships at McGill, Princeton, and Stanford. He published widely, bringing cybernetics to the attention of other academics including philosophers and psychologists, and to people in industry, teaching and government. Throughout his academic career he supervised research students in cybernetics and so propagated the ideas and challenges of the field to new generations. In 1964 Frank George left Bristol University to become managing director of Educational and Scientific Developments, a company set up to apply cybernetic ideas in training and learning to industry and education. In 1968 Tony Benn, the Minister of Technology gave his backing to an initiative to form an Institute of Cybernetics. The idea for an institute had been promoted by another great British cybernetician, Stafford Beer, who was at that time involved with directing strategy for the International Publishing Corporation. With financial help from IPC the Institute was created and found a home at the recently established Brunel University at Uxbridge. Frank became head of the Institute and held a full-time chair in cybernetics, Gordon Pask had a part-time chair, and both started to attract research students from the UK, and from all over the world. The Institute flourished under Frank's leadership and within a few years had been transformed into a full academic department of the university devoted solely to postgraduate work in cybernetics. While stimulating and steering the Department's growth, Frank remained highly active in the field of industrial and commercial research work and achieved a prodigious output of books, articles and journal papers. The Department of Cybernetics flourished at Brunel until the first wave of cutbacks
Whilst accepting a physical basis to existence this paper nonetheless challenges the adequacy of ... more Whilst accepting a physical basis to existence this paper nonetheless challenges the adequacy of the machine model of nature. It is argued that the machine model is fundamentally bounded by requiring a specification that cannot be transcended and that this limits its usefulness, in particular making it an inappropriate model for novel emergent processes. Four non-machine processes for understanding emergence are discussed.
663 pages incl index (£58.50) This massive tome is part of the Artificial Intelligence series of ... more 663 pages incl index (£58.50) This massive tome is part of the Artificial Intelligence series of books from The MIT Press. It was apparently written over a five year period and reflects the findings of an ESPRIT I project for studying machine visual perception in the context of a robot moving in an indoor environment. Ignoring the short Introduction, this book is divided into 10 chapters each of which end with a series of questions for the reader to solve. The answers to 'this homework* are given in the twelfth chapter which is followed by three appendices, a 24 page bibliography and the index. The volume is very complete and comprehensive, and for those with an interest in the mathematics and physics of three-dimensional computer vision this is an essential purchase..
The idea of a control system is reviewed and then the concept of a self-evaluating executive cont... more The idea of a control system is reviewed and then the concept of a self-evaluating executive control system is introduced and those modes of its operation and behavior that are relevant to modeling human behavior are described. The concept is then used, and assessed, as a model for human behaviour. It is shown how the model relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and to some central ideas in psychoanalytic theory.
This thesis concerns the use of simulation for investigating and describing the criminal detectio... more This thesis concerns the use of simulation for investigating and describing the criminal detection activity of detective police constables engaged in ordinary C. I. D. duties in British urban police forces. Two simulation approaches are described: (1) a gaming simulation (SIMPOL), which was used to study the performance of a C. I. D. by using real policemen to operate a simulated C. I. D. This study was used to provide empirical data on the activity planning and directing involved in detective work and decision rules governing this were extracted. (2) These rules were embedded in a formal model (SIMDET) of investigation work and a computer simulation of the decision processes used by a detective to organise and plan his activities was produced. SIMDET - produces a protocol of the activity of a detective when confronted with a series of crimes to investigate and specifies the investiagtion activities he carries out, how long he spends on each, the outcomes his activities produce and ...
This position paper has three parts. In the first part, a brief historical background and various... more This position paper has three parts. In the first part, a brief historical background and various modern formulations of the concept of emergence are presented. A number of problems associated with the concept are identified. One outstanding problem involves the incommensurability of secondary qualities (or phenomenal qualia) with materialist (externalist) ontologies. The intractability of this problem with respect to existing scientific approaches is an indicator of ontological category error, in this case, an attempt to subsume subjectivity into objectivity. In the second part, various attempts at solving the mind-body problem (of which the subjectivity-objectivity issue is a modern incarnation) are investigated and shown to be problematic. It is argued that these problems necessitate reconsidering the metaphysical foundations upon which the concept of emergence is grounded. In the third part, the notion of emergence is reconsidered and a new theory grounded in a synthesis of Heideggerian and Whiteheadian metaphysics is outlined. Finally, the implications of this synthesis for artificing (technology) are briefly considered. It is maintained that "strong" artificiality, the artifactual realization of natural phenomena such as life and mind, is impossible and that this result follows from the essence of artificing. Thus, ontology does not entail technology.
... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn&#x2... more ... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn't: How a Decision Support System for Retail Buyers Found Limbo, Systems, Objectives, Solutions', 1982, Chapter2, pp.15 ... 26] C. Sauer, 'Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach', Alfred ...
... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn&#x2... more ... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn't: How a Decision Support System for Retail Buyers Found Limbo, Systems, Objectives, Solutions', 1982, Chapter2, pp.15 ... 26] C. Sauer, 'Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach', Alfred ...
The problem of free will - what exactly it is, whether it is required for us to be morally respon... more The problem of free will - what exactly it is, whether it is required for us to be morally responsible for our actions, and whether any natural being can possibly possess it - has remained unresolved for well over 2000 years. Now, starting from the very widely held belief that most change takes place in a way that is independent of how most other change in taking place, this book builds an argument - and a novel metaphysical view dubbed "independence indeterminism" - that rapidly leads not only to a paradigm-changing way of viewing existence, but also to a new way of explaining our possession of free will. This carefully and fully argued book will be of interest to a wide readership not only because of its focus on free will but also because independence indeterminism helps resolve other long-standing issues, including why the mind is not wholly reducible to causally determined processes occurring in the brain.
Michael Elstob lectured in cybernetics at Brunel University, west London, for over twenty-eight years; he also supervised and examined many doctoral students.
Society for General Systems Research. Proc. Silver Annervary Meeting., 1979
Values and the process of valuation is an important issue for the system scientist. In this paper... more Values and the process of valuation is an important issue for the system scientist. In this paper an analysis is made to accommodate some aspects of the human valuation process that are often ignored by the system scientist. It is suggested that valuation is legitimately seen only in behaviour meeting specific criteria. The behaviour of purposeful systems is shown to meet these criteria. Valuation is then introduced, in contrast to logical inference, as a possible process whereby a purposeful system can achieve selection and direction of action.
Gives some personal impressions about Gordon Pask from the author's time working for him at Syste... more Gives some personal impressions about Gordon Pask from the author's time working for him at Systems Research Ltd and from time working together in the Department of Cybernetics, Brunel University. I worked with Gordon in one capacity or another on and off for 30 years. He was an extraordinary person and I cannot adequately capture this in what I write here. But I hope that what I say, added to what others report, will help in building a fuller picture of the man. I did a degree in physics but halfway through I got a little bored, mainly because physics seemed not to be addressing complex things like minds. I was attracted by the approach of physics but wanted to see its success repeated in new areas. I came across cybernetics in 1964 in the middle year of my degree and it seemed to offer an exciting way forward. Soon I had got hold of various books on the subject, including Gordon's An Approach to Cybernetics, and these had a significant impact on me, leading me to decide to make cybernetics a major part of my life. Some months later, in early 1965, I attended a lecture Gordon gave at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts, London). Afterwards I approached him about the possibility of a job when I completed my degree. He welcomed my interest and suggested I arrange a date with his secretary and come to talk to him at his firm, System Research in Richmond. Not knowing Gordon, I was pleased but surprised by his offer. Later, I realised that it was not so surprising. Gordon always made time for people who were interested in his work no matter what their background or status. He was amazingly generous with his time, particularly considering the work he took on and the tasks he set himself. After an informal yet challenging conversation with Gordon, and with no formality, he offered me a job as a research assistant. Because of a funding delay I did not start at System Research until early January 1966. On my first morning I arrived at the offices and labs, located above a laundrette in Hill Rise, Richmond, Surrey. The door was ajar but apparently no-one was about. I shouted "hello" and after a while an affable but rather vague middle-aged man appeared. This was Harry Moore, Gordon's faithful associate and old friend from his Cambridge days. It seemed clear that Harry had no idea who I was so I explained. I later discovered that this was pretty much typical of System Research-very informal and rather disorganized. Harry gave me a cup of coffee and explained that Gordon would not be down until the late afternoon as he had been working through the night and would have only gone to bed an hour or so earlier. He explained about Gordon's 48hour cycle: 36 hours working and 12hour sleeping, with the cycle being carefully regulated in proper cybernetic fashion with appropriate drugs. Harry briefly showed me around and told me to make myself at home upstairs in and labs and research offices, and to read up on anything that looked relevant. Upstairs, the first room I looked into was a shock. It was incredibly dusty and untidy-papers piled all over the place, scattered piles of tobacco tins, various electrical and mechanical gadgetry, and several piles of pipe-tobacco ash in various sorts of ashtrays. I asked Harry about the room and he explained that it was Gordon's study. It was not at that time much used by Gordon-he mostly
This paper argues for a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the currently dominant determi... more This paper argues for a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the currently dominant deterministic metaphysics of science.
The nature of change, especially creational change, is vital to the management of all types of hu... more The nature of change, especially creational change, is vital to the management of all types of human systems.
This paper argues for the development of a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the determi... more This paper argues for the development of a metaphysics of indeterminism to complement the deterministic metaphysics of current science. Deterministic ideas are analysed to show the underlying assumptions and alternative assumptions are then proposed which allow an indeterministic view of aspects of nature.
Frank George-a personal appreciation I came across the name of Frank George in 1963, very soon af... more Frank George-a personal appreciation I came across the name of Frank George in 1963, very soon after I discovered the existence of cybernetics, in my second year as an undergraduate student studying physics. Six years later I met him for the first time and then the next year I was working with him on one of his several research projects, this one being a Government and ICL supported investigation into the way site engineers diagnosed computer faults. Later still, in 1972, I joined the Department of Cybernetics at Brunel University as a lecturer where Frank was Professor and head of department. I have remained both a colleague and a friend ever since. But now he has died and I, and his many friends, past students and colleagues will miss him greatly. Frank Honeywill George was born on 2 nd May 1921 and died 10 September 1997, leaving a very dear wife, Jacqueline, and two daughters. He was one of the British pioneers of cybernetics. I remember him telling me of the extraordinary intellectual excitement he experienced when he first read Norbert Wiener's newly published Cybernetics while he was up at Cambridge in the late 1940s. It was this book, which introduced the new science to the world, that changed Frank's life and led him to devote his exceptional ability and energy to cybernetics. Frank had come to Cambridge late, like many who had been caught up in the war. Frank served in the RAF first as a fighter pilot and then as an instructor, and ended up as a flight lieutenant in the position of station adjutant. After the war he went to Sidney Sussex College and took a double first in mathematics and moral sciences. His aim was to pursue cybernetics via an academic career but he realised, very early on, the significance of cybernetic thinking to industry and government and he also wanted to ensure it would make its proper impact in these spheres. His first academic post was at Bristol University in the Department of Philosophy and Psychology. He was there for 15 years, but this included sabbatical and study leave abroad on visiting professorships at McGill, Princeton, and Stanford. He published widely, bringing cybernetics to the attention of other academics including philosophers and psychologists, and to people in industry, teaching and government. Throughout his academic career he supervised research students in cybernetics and so propagated the ideas and challenges of the field to new generations. In 1964 Frank George left Bristol University to become managing director of Educational and Scientific Developments, a company set up to apply cybernetic ideas in training and learning to industry and education. In 1968 Tony Benn, the Minister of Technology gave his backing to an initiative to form an Institute of Cybernetics. The idea for an institute had been promoted by another great British cybernetician, Stafford Beer, who was at that time involved with directing strategy for the International Publishing Corporation. With financial help from IPC the Institute was created and found a home at the recently established Brunel University at Uxbridge. Frank became head of the Institute and held a full-time chair in cybernetics, Gordon Pask had a part-time chair, and both started to attract research students from the UK, and from all over the world. The Institute flourished under Frank's leadership and within a few years had been transformed into a full academic department of the university devoted solely to postgraduate work in cybernetics. While stimulating and steering the Department's growth, Frank remained highly active in the field of industrial and commercial research work and achieved a prodigious output of books, articles and journal papers. The Department of Cybernetics flourished at Brunel until the first wave of cutbacks
Whilst accepting a physical basis to existence this paper nonetheless challenges the adequacy of ... more Whilst accepting a physical basis to existence this paper nonetheless challenges the adequacy of the machine model of nature. It is argued that the machine model is fundamentally bounded by requiring a specification that cannot be transcended and that this limits its usefulness, in particular making it an inappropriate model for novel emergent processes. Four non-machine processes for understanding emergence are discussed.
663 pages incl index (£58.50) This massive tome is part of the Artificial Intelligence series of ... more 663 pages incl index (£58.50) This massive tome is part of the Artificial Intelligence series of books from The MIT Press. It was apparently written over a five year period and reflects the findings of an ESPRIT I project for studying machine visual perception in the context of a robot moving in an indoor environment. Ignoring the short Introduction, this book is divided into 10 chapters each of which end with a series of questions for the reader to solve. The answers to 'this homework* are given in the twelfth chapter which is followed by three appendices, a 24 page bibliography and the index. The volume is very complete and comprehensive, and for those with an interest in the mathematics and physics of three-dimensional computer vision this is an essential purchase..
The idea of a control system is reviewed and then the concept of a self-evaluating executive cont... more The idea of a control system is reviewed and then the concept of a self-evaluating executive control system is introduced and those modes of its operation and behavior that are relevant to modeling human behavior are described. The concept is then used, and assessed, as a model for human behaviour. It is shown how the model relates to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and to some central ideas in psychoanalytic theory.
This thesis concerns the use of simulation for investigating and describing the criminal detectio... more This thesis concerns the use of simulation for investigating and describing the criminal detection activity of detective police constables engaged in ordinary C. I. D. duties in British urban police forces. Two simulation approaches are described: (1) a gaming simulation (SIMPOL), which was used to study the performance of a C. I. D. by using real policemen to operate a simulated C. I. D. This study was used to provide empirical data on the activity planning and directing involved in detective work and decision rules governing this were extracted. (2) These rules were embedded in a formal model (SIMDET) of investigation work and a computer simulation of the decision processes used by a detective to organise and plan his activities was produced. SIMDET - produces a protocol of the activity of a detective when confronted with a series of crimes to investigate and specifies the investiagtion activities he carries out, how long he spends on each, the outcomes his activities produce and ...
This position paper has three parts. In the first part, a brief historical background and various... more This position paper has three parts. In the first part, a brief historical background and various modern formulations of the concept of emergence are presented. A number of problems associated with the concept are identified. One outstanding problem involves the incommensurability of secondary qualities (or phenomenal qualia) with materialist (externalist) ontologies. The intractability of this problem with respect to existing scientific approaches is an indicator of ontological category error, in this case, an attempt to subsume subjectivity into objectivity. In the second part, various attempts at solving the mind-body problem (of which the subjectivity-objectivity issue is a modern incarnation) are investigated and shown to be problematic. It is argued that these problems necessitate reconsidering the metaphysical foundations upon which the concept of emergence is grounded. In the third part, the notion of emergence is reconsidered and a new theory grounded in a synthesis of Heideggerian and Whiteheadian metaphysics is outlined. Finally, the implications of this synthesis for artificing (technology) are briefly considered. It is maintained that "strong" artificiality, the artifactual realization of natural phenomena such as life and mind, is impossible and that this result follows from the essence of artificing. Thus, ontology does not entail technology.
... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn&#x2... more ... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn't: How a Decision Support System for Retail Buyers Found Limbo, Systems, Objectives, Solutions', 1982, Chapter2, pp.15 ... 26] C. Sauer, 'Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach', Alfred ...
... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn&#x2... more ... [19] KC Laudon, and JP Laudon, 'Management Information ... Model That Couldn't: How a Decision Support System for Retail Buyers Found Limbo, Systems, Objectives, Solutions', 1982, Chapter2, pp.15 ... 26] C. Sauer, 'Why Information Systems Fail: A Case Study Approach', Alfred ...
The problem of free will - what exactly it is, whether it is required for us to be morally respon... more The problem of free will - what exactly it is, whether it is required for us to be morally responsible for our actions, and whether any natural being can possibly possess it - has remained unresolved for well over 2000 years. Now, starting from the very widely held belief that most change takes place in a way that is independent of how most other change in taking place, this book builds an argument - and a novel metaphysical view dubbed "independence indeterminism" - that rapidly leads not only to a paradigm-changing way of viewing existence, but also to a new way of explaining our possession of free will. This carefully and fully argued book will be of interest to a wide readership not only because of its focus on free will but also because independence indeterminism helps resolve other long-standing issues, including why the mind is not wholly reducible to causally determined processes occurring in the brain.
Michael Elstob lectured in cybernetics at Brunel University, west London, for over twenty-eight years; he also supervised and examined many doctoral students.
Uploads
Papers by Michael Elstob
Now, starting from the very widely held belief that most change takes place in a way that is independent of how most other change in taking place, this book builds an argument - and a novel metaphysical view dubbed "independence indeterminism" - that rapidly leads not only to a paradigm-changing way of viewing existence, but also to a new way of explaining our possession of free will.
This carefully and fully argued book will be of interest to a wide readership not only because of its focus on free will but also because independence indeterminism helps resolve other long-standing issues, including why the mind is not wholly reducible to causally determined processes occurring in the brain.
Michael Elstob lectured in cybernetics at Brunel University, west London, for over twenty-eight years; he also supervised and examined many doctoral students.
Now, starting from the very widely held belief that most change takes place in a way that is independent of how most other change in taking place, this book builds an argument - and a novel metaphysical view dubbed "independence indeterminism" - that rapidly leads not only to a paradigm-changing way of viewing existence, but also to a new way of explaining our possession of free will.
This carefully and fully argued book will be of interest to a wide readership not only because of its focus on free will but also because independence indeterminism helps resolve other long-standing issues, including why the mind is not wholly reducible to causally determined processes occurring in the brain.
Michael Elstob lectured in cybernetics at Brunel University, west London, for over twenty-eight years; he also supervised and examined many doctoral students.