Nature of the Machine and the Collapse of Cybernetics

Alcibiades Malapi-Nelson pursued studies in philosophy in Latin America, French Canada and Toronto, where he obtained a doctorate from York University. He is currently working on the implications of emergent technologies for the future of humanity, particularly in what regards human identity, ethics and policy. He currently teaches at Seneca and Humber colleges, in Toronto.

“Anyone interested and involved in pervasive computation and ubiquitous machine learning will find this book makes stimulating reading.” (J.J. Ramsden, Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry, Vol. 21, 2021)“Cybernetics, an approach for understanding control and communication in a very general way that applies to both machines and living systems, thrived as a movement for about a decade after WW II. … This is a technical scholarly work with ample primary source citations … . Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals.” (D. Bantz, Choice, Vol. 56 (1), September, 2018)

• 1. Cybernetics: The beginnings, the founding articles and the first meetings.-2. Cybernetics: The book, the club and the decline.- 3. Pre-cybernetic context.- 4. Cybernetic tenets: Philosophical considerations.- 5. Extending the scope of a machine ontology..- 6. Emphasizing the limits of a machine epistemology.-7. Cybernetic tensions: Further philosophical considerations.- 8. The rise of Emerging Technologies.-9. Transhumanist technologies: New possibilities for a cybernetic worldview.