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February 15, 2006
Cybernetic
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Etymology lesson:
cybernetic:
A thermostat is cybernetic in nature: There is a mechanism in place which keeps the room from getting too hot or too cold; it regulates things to ensure everything is in balance, that if something gets too far one direction, the system kicks on to bring it back in line.
Today, cybernetics is the "theoretical study of control processes, in electrical, mechanical, or biological systems, especially the mathematical analysis of the flow of information of such systems." However, the original meaning of cybernetic referred to the person who steered or guided the ship through dangerous channels.
Cybernetic comes to us from the Greek word, kubernetes, meaing "pilot, governor," which came from Greek kuberman, meaning, "to steer, guide." Hence, if something is cybernetic in nature, it steers or guides something so that nothing gets too far out of line one way or the other.
Norbert Wiener initiated the modern use of the Greek term "cyber" (originally meaning to steer or govern) around 1948 to characterize what he called "cybernetics:" an interdisciplinary science that investigates automatic control processes in biological, technical and social systems.
'Cyborg' ('cybernetic organism') was coined around 1962 to describe a human being linked to mechanical devices that assist the human's vital life functions.
Posted by mslaybau at February 15, 2006 10:15 PM
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