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American Society for Cybernetics

Organization that advances cybernetics as a science From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American Society for Cybernetics
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The American Society for Cybernetics (ASC) is an American non-profit scholastic organization for the advancement of cybernetics as a science, a discipline, a meta-discipline and the promotion of cybernetics as basis for an interdisciplinary discourse. The society does this by developing and applying cybernetics’ concepts which are presented and published via its conferences and peer-reviewed publications. As a meta-discipline, it creates bridges between disciplines, philosophies, sciences, and arts.[1] The ASC is a full member of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR).

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In order to do so it holds conferences and seminars, and maintains contacts with cyberneticians and organizations for cybernetics in other countries. Further activities of the ASC are:

  • ASC Glossary on Cybernetics and Systems Theory[2]
  • Disciplinary Matrices in Cybernetics and Systems Science[3]
  • Wiener and McCulloch awards

The American Society for Cybernetics was founded in 1964 in Washington, DC to encourage new developments in cybernetics as an interdisciplinary field (with Warren McCulloch as first elected president of the ASC).[4] The society was spearheaded by John J. Ford of the CIA to counter growing advancements from the USSR in computing and cybernetics research and development.[5][6][7] According to Evgeny Morozov, it bought together a number of academics, policy makers, spies, and business people to meet this aim.[5] Morozov also notes that international and national pressures during the late 1960s led to increased interest in cybernetics for policy makers and governmental officials as a way to minimise uncertainty domestically and on the world stage.[5]

In the 1980s ASC became a member of the International Federation for Systems Research, and in the 1990s supported the Principia Cybernetica Project.

The ASC has been maintaining an editorial column in the interdisciplinary Cybernetics and Human Knowing Journal since its first issue in 1992. Rodney Donaldson was the first ASC president to write for the column.

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Annual Cybernetics Symposia

First Annual Cybernetics Symposium

The First Annual Cybernetics Symposium of the ASC was held on 26–7 October 1967 at the National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The theme was "Purposive Systems: The Edge of Knowledge."[8] The following people made presentations:[9]

  • Saul Amarel: "Problems of representation in artificial intelligence"
  • Nikolai Amosov: "Simulation of thinking processes"
  • Herbert Anschütz: "Prospects for the development of the psychocybernetics of intelligent behavior"
  • Yehoshua Bar-Hillel: "The future of man-machine languages"
  • Alexander S. Fraser: "The evolution of purposive behavior"
  • Ralph Gerard: "The neurophysiology of purposive behavior"
  • Jerrier A. Haddad: "Hardware for purposive systems"
  • David Hawkins: "The nature of purpose"
  • Margaret Mead: "Cybernetics of Cybernetics"
  • Emmanuel G. Mesthene: "How technology will shape the future"
  • Talcott Parsons: "Facilitating technological innovation in society"
  • Frederick Seitz: "The Challenge"[8]
  • Ivan Sutherland: "Facilitating the man-machine interface"


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ASC Presidents

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Wiener and McCulloch awards

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The "Wiener Medal in Cybernetics" is an annual award by the American Society for Cybernetics in recognition of outstanding achievements or contributions in the field of cybernetics.[10] Since 2005 the award has been redefined to recognize achievements and contributions from younger scholars and researchers working in cybernetics or with applications of cybernetics.[10] Recipients of the Wiener and McCulloch awards:

References

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