mechanical-electrical communication systems)
The word 'cybernetics' has an interesting history1, and its origins may surprise you. This word has been used historically to describe control. The earliest example can be found in the writings of the Greek Philosopher, Plato (429 - 347 B.C.)2, who used it in the sense of 'the art of steering' and 'the art of government'. Louis Couffignal (1902 - 1966)3, a French Mathematician also known as a cybernetics pioneer, considered cybernetics in definition as 'the art of assuring efficiency of action'. Other examples in history show 'cybernetics' to share the same root definition as the words 'governor' or 'government' - basically meaning 'to control', or having a relationship with the act of controlling.
The birth of cybernetics can be traced to one source and three men. The source was Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the three men were: Mathematician Norbert Wiener;
Neurophysiologist Warren McCulloch; and, Professor Jay Forrester. It was during the 1960s when these three men laid the stepping stones for the research and development of this
1 Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, 'Cybernetics', Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cybernetics (accessed 12 Jun. 2013)
2 Kraut, Richard, 'Plato', The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), forthcoming URL =
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2013/entries/plato/>. (accessed 26 Jul. 2013)
3 Georgi Dalakov, 'Louis Couffignal', History of Computers, http://history-computer.com/Babbage/LouisCoufignal.html (accessed 12 May 2013)
technology today. It was Wiener who defined the scientific study of cybernetics as 'the scientific study of control and communication in the animal and the machine.' This definition will have significance to what will shortly follow.
Cybernetics quickly grew in the 1970s and has continued evolving to this day. What makes the 1970s era of cybernetics unique as a turning point, was integrating biology into the study. Cybernetics has become more than just a study of technology to control or govern a computerized machine. It has now melded with technologies of synthetic biology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, brain-machine interface, and even artificial intelligent robotics. In fact, it has been related and incorporated into the studies of mechanics, as well as physical, biological, cognitive and even social systems. This technology is considered a closed-loop system, meaning that it is the controlling power over one system or network. Examples might include a cybernetic brain-machine interface that controls, independently, humans thoughts and reactions, or perhaps a cybernetic artificial intelligent network that operates everything in your house.
Cybernetics is a unique Transhumanism technology in that it is a technology defined by its name, but not restricted to it. We could use nanotechnology as a cut and dry example of what cybernetics isn't, because nanotechnology deals with extremely tiny mechanical and synthetic machines, so you cannot have a 5000 pound robot and say it is a nanobot. On a similar note, we have cryonics, which can only work with a deep freezing process. But when we are talking about cybernetics we are referring to a very broad range of methods and technologies.
What this means is that this technology is able to govern or control a singular entity or network. This includes everything from cyborg tissue, which is a synthetic skin1
1 Liz Ahlberg, 'Smart Skin: Electronics that stick and stretch like a temporary tattoo', (11 Aug. 2011) News Bureau, University of Illinois,
http://news.illinois.edu/news/11/0811skin_electronics_JohnRogers.html (accessed 15 Aug. 2011)
created with
nanowires and human tissue, to autonomous robots utilized by police and military. The range of this technology is truly vast.
Boston Dynamics1, one of the leading companies dealing with cybenetics who originated out of MIT in 1992 is a heavy hitter, and has received contracts from the infamous DARPA for many years. One cybernetic robot they recently became famous for is BigDog2: a four-legged all terrain robot that is being developed as a mobile work-horse for ground operations by soldiers. They also have SandFlea and RHex which are again unique, and have cybernetic qualities.
DARPA, of course, is heavily into cybernetics3 but not just for robotics. They have open solicitations and current contracts dealing with cybernetics on a more biological side, which does involve brain-machine interfacing. One nifty little research project consists of a pilot wearing what looks like a swimmers cap from the future so that the pilot, using their mind, can fly a helicopter drone. This is nothing new, though, because in a 1986 document from the U.S. Army that had been 'acquired' from Soviet Russia, entitled, Neuron-like Modeling and Computing Structures4, we find in an 18 page discussion which proposes the development of cybernetics by way of a BMI type technique.
Why do I feel cybernetics holds dangers within its ideology?
Considering its near infinite range of uses in many sciences and
1 Boston Dynamics, http://www.bostondynamics.com/
2 Boston Dynamics, 'BigDog', http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_bigdog.html (accessed 18 Aug. 2012)
3 U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Prepared by Judith A. Daly (Program Manage), Close-Coupled Man/Machine Systems Research (Biocybernetics), Program Elements: 61101E, 62709E, (April 1981)
http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/Science_and_Technology/DARPA/877.pdf (accessed 19 Jul. 2011)
4 U.S. Army, U.S. Army Intelligence Agency, Neuron-like Modeling and Computing Structures, (Russia, original authors; A.V. Kalyayev, Yu. V. Chernukhin, 1986) Resource for getting a copy-
http://www.theblackvault.com/documents/cloning/neuron.pdf (accessed 6 Apr. 2010)
industries, cybernetic technology is being developed for the purpose of governing and control, and 99% of the research and development involves intelligent robotic machines and humans.
If I have to explain it in more detail than that, then the Transhumanism matrix is not taking on its dangerous three dimensional construct as clearly in your mind as it should.