dbd%benden@LANL.GOV (Dan Davison) (04/04/89)
ANNOUNCING FORMATION OF A MAILING LIST FOR SYSTEMS AND CYBERNETICS In the late 1940's the fields of General Systems Theory and Cybernetics emerged out of a series of intense, interdisciplinary conferences on "circular causal and feedback mechanisms" which drew on anthropology, philosophy, biology, neurology, psychology, and electrical engineering. Although Systems Scientists and Cyberneticians tend to emphasize different aspects of their studies, what they share is a commitment to a general understanding of the evolution of complex, multi-level systems like organisms, minds, and societies as informational entities containing possibly circular processes. Today a number of exciting fields, like Complex Systems Theory, Self-Organizing Systems Theory, Dynamic Systems Theory, some branches of Artificial Intelligence, Network Theory, fractal geometry, Fuzzy Set Theory, Recursive Theory, computer simulation, and Information Theory share the philosophical and methodological committments of Systems and Cybernetics. Further, the direct influence of the fields has been felt in areas as diverse as immunology, ecology, economics, political science, computer theory and information systems, family therapy, management theory, education and ethics. The purposes of the mailing list and file server include: 1) facilitating discussion among those working in or just interested in the general fields of Systems and Cybernetics; 2) providing a means of communicating to the general research community about the work that Systems Scientists and Cyberneticians do; 3) housing a repository of electronic files for general distribution concerning Systems and Cybernetics; and 4) providing a central, public directory of working Systems Scientists and Cyberneticians. The list is coordinated by members of the Systems Science department of the Watson School at SUNY-Binghamton, and is affiliated with the International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) and the American Society for Cybernetics (ASC). We invite all to join the discussion. To subscribe, send a file containing only the line: 'SUB CYBSYS-L your_full_name' to the address LISTSERV@BINGVMB.BITNET. Once subscribed, please post a message to the address CYBSYS-L@BINGVMB.BITNET. In the message, please include your name, affiliation, and a brief description of your work and/or interest in the fields of Systems and Cybernetics. List owner: vu0112@BINGVAXU.CC.BINGHAMTON.EDU (Cliff Joslyn) -- O----------------------------------------------------------------------> | Cliff Joslyn, Cybernetician at Large | Systems Science, SUNY Binghamton, vu0112@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu V All the world is biscuit shaped. . .