International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

Citation

Vallée, R. (2006), "International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics", Kybernetes, Vol. 35 No. 1/2, pp. 241-242. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684920610640353

This is the second edition of the International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, edited by Charles François. The first edition had been published, also by K.G. Saur (Munich), in 1997. We reviewed it in Kybernetes (vol. 27, no. 9, pp. 1092‐3). This new edition, is placed under the aegis of an academic committee: M. Bacewicz, H. Benking, S. Brier, G. Chroust, D. Dubois, J. van Gigch, R. Glanville, E. Grün, M. Jackson, A. Judge, M. Kalaidjeva, G. Minati, M. Mulej, R. Rodriguez Ulloa, M. Schwaninger, G.A. Swanson, E. Schwarz, R. Trappl, S. Umpleby, R. Vallée; J. Warfield. It is an extended one (2 volumes and 741 pages instead of 423). The appendix contains a bibliography of around 4,500 references (books and articles, not only in English but also in Franch, German …) completed by a list of institutions and journals devoted to systems or cybernetics with also an index of persons quoted. Among the institutions we observe three federations: International Federation for Systems Research, Union Européenne de Systémique, World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics and among the journals: CASYS, Cybernetics and Human Knowing, Cybernetics and Systems, International Journal of General Systems, Kybernetes, RES‐Systemica, Systems Research and Behavioral Sciences. In the index, the author with the biggest number of references is Ilya Prigogine and the most quoted is Walter Ross Ashby.

The second volume ends with a short biography of Charles François. Belgian citizen, born in 1922, retired from the Belgian Foreign Service in 1987, he lived in Central Africa from 1945 to 1960 and since 1963 he lives in Argentina. His first contact with cybernetics was, in 1952, with Wiener's most famous book on the subject (1948). Later on he became member of the board of many societies or journals devoted to cybernetics or systems. On systemic topics he wrote numerous articles, a book in Franch and three in Spanish. In 1992 he published a Diccionario de Teora General de Sistemas y Cibernética. He is now Honorary president of Grupo de Estudio de Sistemas Integrados which he founded in 1976.

The introduction to the first edition is reproduced with the new one in which Charles François insists upon the changes that occurred since 1997, among them the progress of systems thinking in the Far East and Latin America. The problem of a precise definition of the expression “theory of systems” is still present but is not the main issue (we would even add that too much precision is not compatible with the possible evolution of this field of research). An increasing danger is pointed out: that of the proliferation of informations among which it is more and more difficult to choose the pertinent ones so close, in some cases, to “doctored pseudo‐information”. The help of the United Nations, particularly of UNESCO, is acknowledged, especially for the publication of the “Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems” which is systemic minded. Among possible international projects a “general depository of all existing past and present material” concerning systems and cybernetics should be created. Adequate basic works should also be produced, we would say for the sake of “requisite variety”, in the most important languages, encouraging, this way, creative debates.

The encyclopedia itself is a kind of dictionary of 3,807 words (instead of 3,000 in the first edition) from abduction to zoosemiotics, having to do directly or indirectly with systems or cybernetics. The definitions correspond generally to the meanings usual in cybernetics or systemics. A caveat concerning frequent misunderstandings about the true meaning of the expression “general system (or systems) theory” is recalled as well as the opposite choices of “patron saints” of cybernetics and/or systemics: Leibniz, according to Wiener, and Descartes, for McCulloch (to whom I would like to add Pascal). Many concepts are presented: ago‐antagonism, andragology, arithmetic relator, autonomy (two meanings), autopoiesis, catastrophe theory, conversation theory, double bind, eigen‐element, epistemo‐praxiology, fuzzy set, homeostasis, metamodeling, order from noise, perspectivism, requisite variety, self‐organization, specular interaction, synergetics, systemology, time of system … numerous quotations, from known authors, give the many aspects of each concept or theory, with critical views when needed, logical and mathematical formalisms being generally purposely avoided.

This excellent book will be very useful to all readers specialized or not, that are interested in cybernetics or systems for one reason or another. Historians and philosophers will find the material they need for their works. For teachers, students and curious minds, here is more than is necessary for an initiation and even for a deeper understanding. Researchers in systems science, cybernetics, physics, mathematics as well as in economics, sociology, psychology, biology … will be attracted by the many perspectives opened by this complete presentation of the field. They will find a very efficient help with the very important bibliography and also informations about journals and societies. In short, we must be very thankful to Charles François for this very valuable work to which he devoted much of his life.