Introduction to Cybernetics

Institute of Philosophy invites you to a series of seminars

Introduction to Cybernetics

In the Introduction to Cybernetics seminar, we will present the foundational conditions, lines of thought, and traditions without which what has come to be known as cybernetics could not have been established. The seminar will adopt a philosophical approach to topics that, while originating from non-philosophical fields, have profound implications for philosophy, as well as for various other theories and, ultimately, the practices of everyday life.

The first part of the seminar will feature a series of lectures aimed at outlining the emergence of cybernetics and exploring the key concepts and issues that have shaped its history. The second part of the seminar will take the form of reading group sessions, where we will focus on selected chapters from two books by two of the most influential proponents of cybernetic ideas: Norbert Wiener’s Cybernetics and Gregory Bateson’s Steps on the Ecology of Minds.

The seminars will take place in the meeting room of the Institute of Philosophy, ZRC SAZU, Novi trg 2, 3rd floor, starting at 18:00, according to the following schedule

The seminars are part of the project Nonlinear causalities: the problem of (un)predictability in contemporary technology (Z6-50210), funded by the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency.