cybernetics and feedback

Parodying the scientists does not mean you can't learn from them

Although Gulliver only finds that the Laputians were so deeply absorbed in mathematical speculations that they forgot all about the practical aspects of life, this does not stop anybody from practically applying their findings. Such is the case with cybernetics, a field of study dealing with designing robots. A robot is a mechanical apparatus designed to do the work of man. The wish to design robots has given us much insight into man's thinking, and its enormous complexity.
Complexity can only be managed by means of hierarchy and this is a point where creativity plays a vital role. In spite of the fact that man is very well equipped to deal with complexity, he is badly trained to do so.
The question how to design systems that are capable of learning in a brain-like way shows the complexity, because of the required feedback mechanisms. In the design challenge to create machines with the adaptive capacities of organisms cybernetics emerged.
The major insight gained was that the ability of a system to engage in self-regulating behaviour depends on processes of information exchange involving negative feedback. The principle of negative feedback is found incorporated in e.g. the house thermostat: if the temperature rises too high action is initiated to stop the burner. Negative feedback means more leads to less and less to more.
Living organisms operate in a parallel manner. When our body heat rises, the brain and central nervous system initiate action which leads us to slow down, sweat, and breathe heavily, in order to initiate changes in the opposite direction. Positive feedback means more of the same or less of the same, depending of the movement of the deviation.
Cybernetics thus leads to a theory of communication and learning stressing four key principles:
1 Systems must have the capacity to sense, monitor, and scan significant aspects of their environment.
2 They must be able to relate this information to the operating norms that guide system behaviour.
3 They must be able to detect significant deviations from these norms.
4 they must be able to initiate corrective action when discrepancies are detected.
Simply put:
1 Analyse by using all the senses: Situation - Aspects - Paradigms
2 Compare the data to what is wanted: process into information.
3 Find the differences between what is and what is wanted.
4 Look for ways to change or adapt the present situation = inventive search.

If these four conditions are satisfied, a continuous process of information exchange is created between a system (your brain) and its environment, allowing the system to monitor changes and initiate appropriate responses. The action to deal with deviations from the norm should be appropriate, otherwise the "intelligence" of the system breaks down. E.g. in bureaucracies the norms are clearly established. On the other hand they can be continually questioned to increase the flexibility. This questioning requires creativity. As stated before man aims for stability and there is the constant divide of "change" versus "no change". It is here that the techniques may help to find different ways of looking at an 'established/accepted' situation. Often more creativity is required to get people to take a different look than in finding new ways.
An important handicap for people is that our culture "rewards success and punishes failure" which leads to fear for failure and promotes single-loop learning (cf. thermostat), but hinders double-loop learning. It is only the artist who is allowed (or allows himself) to make mistakes and therefore rarely more than one fifth of his work is shown in galleries. What is required is a kind of self-questioning ability (i.e. the creative attitude) that underpins the activities of systems that are able to learn to learn (double-loop learning) and self-organize.
It explains why just trying and working 'hard on it' is not enough. After a certain number of trials one may get the feeling 'it does not work' with the resulting feeling "I can't do it." Trying will only be successful if one learns from one's mistakes.
Just look at little girls learning to play ball. They start against the wall (=a fixed norm) and then learn about weight, speed and angle. They adapt ..... and use the walls or blocks. Once the knowledge has been integrated they need no walls anymore.

creativity > using your blocks effectively