LCS_II .INF
Book information:
LIVING CONTROL SYSTEMS vol II
Selected Papers of William T. Powers
Contents, Preface, and Notes on the text:
(The Foreword is included in the file RESOURCE.PCT).
CONTENTS
Foreword, W. Thomas Bourbon ix
Preface, William T. Powers xv
A Note on the Text, Gregory Williams xvii
Some Implications of Feedback Theory
Concerning Behavior 1
The Wiener Feedback Model--
A Strategic Error 11
Emotion 31
An Experiment with Levels 41
The Illusion of Control 55
Control Theory for Sociology 67
CT Psychology and Social Organizations 91
A Bucket of Beans 129
Deriving Closed-Loop Transfer Functions for a
Behavioral Model and Vice Versa 145
Learning and Evolution 161
An Agenda for the Control Theory Group 171
Control Theory, Constructivism, and Autopoiesis 175
Control Theory: The Road to Utopia 189
On Violence and Aggression 197
The Good, the True, and the Real 201
A Manifesto for Control Theorists 207
After Galileo 213
The Epistemology of the
Control System Model of Behavior 223
The Fallacy of Behaviorism 233
Human Nature from the Standpoint of Control Theory 241
Standing at the Crossroads 259
The X-Phenomenon 269
Published Works by William T. Powers
on Living Control Systems, 1989-1991 275
PREFACE
This is a volume of explorations, all unpublished and some, quite possibly, unpublishable in the ordinary course of things. A good many of them, such as the paper on evolution, are the result of following my nose, seeing where control theory will lead if given its head. Others have resulted from people asking me questions I couldn't answer, enticing me to think about subjects--like epistemology--that I wouldn't have thought interesting without some nudging.
Many of these papers were written as a form of thinking out loud, trying to put some order into disordered thoughts by arranging them as if for publication (with no intention of seeing them in print). In some cases, as for the paper on transfer functions (somewhat shortened because the data were taken four computers ago and are no longer at hand), the ideas were set down as a promise to myself; a promise to continue the work and get it into some finished form before offering it for publication. A few of those promises may yet be kept; most, I hope, will be kept by others.
Anyone with the will to do so is welcome to finish any of these unfinished thoughts U they look interesting. At this stage of my life, that would be a much more satisfactory outcome than doing it myself; the point of all this is to see others grasping and using control theory in the study of living systems.
If it hadn't been for Greg Williams, most of this material would have sat yellowing in my files or awaiting a cosmic ray to delete it from old computer disks. Greg went through mountains of my old papers and numerous disks simply because he thought it ought to be done before, in my irresponsible way, I got rid of them in a fit of neatness. He has judged this collection to be worth preserving; I can't tell if this is true, because my mind is on what to write next, not those old words which have solidified into print. But I trust Greg Williams' judgment on scientific matters better than I trust that of almost anyone else, and certainly more than my own.
I must also acknowledge the material contributions to the conception and production of this volume by Edward Ford, at this writing the president of the Control Systems Group. Ed is a down-to-earth practical person, who deals daily with real human problems. For some reason he gives boundless encouragement to my theorizing, even though he then has to ask me what it means so he can translate it into something usable.
My thanks to Greg and Ed, good friends, good critics, and persistent benefactors.
William T. Powers
Durango, Colorado
February 1992
A NOTE ON THE TEXT
As in the previous volume of Living Control Systems, l have minimized alterations to the original manuscripts, attempting mainly to provide consistency of spelling and grammar within each paper. All deviations from the originals, for better or for worse, are solely my responsibility.
In coordinating this project, I have been aided by several individuals, including my wife Pat, who typed several of the papers and wrote the software used to redraw all of the figures; Dag Forssell, who provided--and typed--the elusive complete manuscript of "CT Psychology and Social Organizations" (which he had originally obtained from Rick Marken) and also provided the frontispiece holograph; Clark McPhail, who provided the manuscript of "Control Theory for Sociology"; and Mackenzie Yearsley, who provided the manuscript of "A Bucket of Beans." I thank all of them.
Ed Ford got this endeavor started, then made sure it was completed. Many, many thanks, Ed, for your ongoing support!
Most of all, I thank Bill and Mary Powers, who graciously permitted me to stay at their home, rummage through their files, photocopy whatever I wanted, and even cart precious manuscripts around the country. For the record: Bill and Mary are simply great folks!
Gregory Williams
Gravel Switch, Kentucky
March 1992