ISA RC51 Newsletter Lssue 27 (January 2013)

8/11/2019 ISA RC51 Newsletter Lssue 27 (January 2013)

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RC51 Newsletter Issue 27 (JAN 2013)

pg1

XVIIIISAWORLD CONGRESS(YOKOHAMA) 12

12TH INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE OFSOCIOCYBERNETICSCALLFORPAPERS 4PRACTICAL INFO 6

BOOK REVIEWS 13

Newslette ISSUE 27 (W INTER ISSUE) JANUARY 20 13

EDITOR: Dr. Patricia Almaguer Kalixto*

(Labcomplex/UNAM) [email protected]

Please note change of address!

ONTENTS:

Editorsintroduction PatriciaAlmaguerKalixto 2

12thInternationalConferenceofSociocybernetics:(Merida,Yucatn,Mxico)2ndCALLFORPAPERS

(organizingcommittee) 3

Sharingknowledge,findingsandworkinprogressStepsTowardsEstablishingaTaskForceonthe Managementof

ComplexOrganizations

Bernd

R.

Hornug

6

CitizenInvolvementinthe ElectronicDesignofPublicPolicies:A

SociologicalAnalysisoftheeCognocracyImplementationinthe

TownofCadreteLeandroAramburu

9

We are getting readyforXVIIIISAWORLDCONGRESSOFSOCIOLOGY(YOKOHAMA 2014).CHECKTHECALLFORPAPERS!!! ChaimeMarcuello 11

BookReviews: BerndR.Hornung

MakingsocialchangebyDavidFlynnandJimHay 12

ComplejidadyCiencias

Sociales

by

Jos

A

Amozurrutia

16

BookannouncementsandotherpublicationsConstructivistFoundationsVolume8:NiklasLuhmannandhis

relevanceforconstructivism

AlexanderRiegler&ArminScholl(editors)

20

ObservingLawthroughSystemsTheory R.Nobles andD.Schiff 21

OverviewoftheABCofHarmony LeoSemanshko 22

IFSRandISAEventinformation 24

Research Commitee 51 on Sociocyberneticsthe International Socio logical Association (ISA

RC51


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pg2

Editors introduction

PatriciaAlmaguerKalixtoRC51NewsletterEditor

[email protected]

DearRC51members,

WelcometotheRC51Newsletter,Issue27.Wehopeyouhavehadagoodstarttotheyear

2013.

In this issue we want to remind you about the 12th RC51 2013 Conference on The

sociocybernetics of social systems and social networks. As many of you know, the

Conferencewill takeplace inMrida (Yucatn),Mxico in June2013.TheCall forPapers

invitesyou to sendproposals toa) report theempirical findingsof research studies that

apply sociocybernetics (both concepts and/or methodologies) b) address the

methodologicalandethical issuesrelatedtoaspectsofresearch insociocyberneticsandc)

addresstheoreticalandconceptual issuesconcerninghowtoeffectivelycharacterizesocial

systems,social

networks

and

the

interactions

of

social

actors.

IntheNewsletterwehaveasectionconcernedwithSharingknowledge,findingsandwork

inprogress,whereBerndR.Hornung,TonyKorycki,BrianMcCarron,MikeMcCarronand

John Raven present Steps Towards Establishing a Task Force on the Management of

ComplexOrganizations,areportontheSCiOConference,heldattheManchesterBusiness

School, in Manchester, UK on October 2012. In the same section, Leandro Aramburu

presentshisMastersdegreeabstract,describinghowheappliesSociocyberneticconcepts.

The titleofhisthesis isCitizen Involvement inthe ElectronicDesignofPublicPolicies:A

SociologicalAnalysisoftheeCognocracyImplementationintheTownofCadrete.

We have two excellent book reviews by Bernd R. Hornung: Making social change,

authoredbyDavidFlynnand JimHay,and ComplejidadyCienciasSociales,writtenby

JosAAmozurrutia. Wehavealsootherbookannouncements sharedby the coauthors

andeditors:OverviewoftheABCofHarmony byLeoSemanshko,ObservingLawthrough

SystemsTheorybyR.NoblesandD.SchiffandtheNovember2012 issueofConstructivist

Foundations, Niklas Luhmann andhis relevancefor constructivism,editedbyAlexander

Riegler&ArminScholl.

We are preparingfortheXVIIIISAWORLDCONGRESSOFSOCIOLOGY(YOKOHAMA 2014).

ChaimeMarcuelloremindsusofthecallforsessionproposalsforthisimportantevent.We

havealsoincludedIFSRandISAeventinformationtoputinyourdiaries.

RememberthattheRC51Newsletteralwayswelcomesfeedbackandnewsuggestionsabout

howtoachieve itsgoal:topromotenewsamongthe ISARC51membersandthebroader

scientific community interested in Sociocybernetics. We look forward to receiving your

contributions!!


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1. ScopeoftheConference

The ISA Research Committee 51 on Sociocybernetics (RC51) is an international group that aims to

promote the development of sociocybernetic theory and research within the social sciences.

Sociocyberneticsisbroadlydefinedhereasapplicationswithinthesocialsciencesoffirst andsecond

ordercybernetics,

general

systems

theory

and

the

various

combinations

and

variations

of

these

that

canbesubsumedunderthetermtheemergingscienceofcomplexity.Membersofthegroupstudy

all aspects of social dynamics and social interaction with particular attention to the observer

dependence of knowledge and the reflective, selfreferential and selforganizing capacities of social

systemsandsocialnetworks.

Following our previous conference topics related to complexity, social action and complex social

systems, the 12th

RC51 2013 Conference will address The sociocybernetics of social systems and

socialnetworks,infieldsofcomplexsocialphenomenasuchaseducation,economy,interdisciplinary

research,internationalrelations,management,migration,newsocialmediacommunication,scientific

production, sustainability, social movements and systemic violence. We therefore invite the

submissionofpaperproposalsthat:

report the empirical findings of research studies that apply sociocybernetics (both concepts

and/ormethodologies).

addressthemethodologicalandethicalissuesassociatedwiththecreationandmaintenanceof

research networks and with the reflective, selfreferential aspects of research in

sociocybernetics.

address theoretical and conceptual issues concerning how to effectively characterize social

systems,socialnetworksandtheinteractionsofsocialactors.

Paperswithastrongsociocyberneticsorientationaddressingothertopicsarealsowelcomed.

2. PaperSubmission:

Abstracts should be submitted in English. Please submit an extended abstract of 7501000 words

(including references) for review purposes, together with a regular abstract of 200300 words. The

latter,willbepublishedontheRC51newsletter, included intheabstractsbookletmadeavailableto

conference participants and published as part of the programme on RC51 website. The regular

abstractonlyshouldincludeinformationabouttheauthor(s):names,affiliations,emailaddressesand

three keywords. Both abstracts should be sent to the Head of the Abstracts Committee, Patricia

Almaguer Kalixto: ([email protected]), with copy to the Chair of the Local Organizing

Committee,

Margarita

Maass:

([email protected]),

and

to

the

RC51

Secretary

Czeslaw

Mesjasz [email protected]

The Sociocybernetics of Social Systems and Social

Networks

12thInternational RC51 Conference of Sociocybernetics

24thto 28 of June 2013 Mrida, Yucatn (Mxico)


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pg4

A formofpublication forselectedcontribution isalreadyplanned.Bestqualitypapers infull

versionandpresentedintheConferencewillbeconsideredforaspecialissueoftheJournalof

Applied Research and Technology (JART). Full papers should be no more than 25 pages in

length including figuresand tables.All submissionswillbeconfidentialdisclosedonly to the

committeereferees.

3. ImportantDates:

28thFebruary2013Deadlineforsubmissionofabstracts

15thMarch2013Notificationofacceptance,withpossiblerequestforrevisions

1stJune2013Deadlineforsubmissionoffullpapers

7th

June2013Deadlineforregistration.

4. Venue

Theeventwillbeheld inattheCentroCulturalUniversitariooftheUniversidadAutnoma

deYucatn

in

Calle

60

No.

491

A

x57

Centro

Histrico

(City

Centre),

Mrida

City,

Yucatn

(Mxico).ThiseventprovidesanexcellentopportunitytovisitMrida,Yucatan.Mridaoffers

awonderfulspacetomeetcontemporaryandancientMexicanculturalexpressions.Yucatn

state has several prehispanic (Mayan), colonial and modern buildings, typical markets,

museums andnature reserves.Therewillbe someexcursionsorganized for theendof the

conference.Informationaboutexcursionswillbeprovidedatalaterdate.CheckRC51website

tofindoutaboutaccommodationandtravelinformation.

5. Participationfees:

RC51Nonmembers 100USD

Student

feee

(RC51

Non

members):

60

USD*

RC51affiliatedmembers(nonISA):60USD

RC51regularmembersingoodstanding(ISAandRC51):Nofee.

InterestedinbecominganISARC51member?Clickhere

Theregistrationfeeincludes:conferencepack,coffeebreaks,conferencedinnerandtourism

information.Weencourageparticipantstocontributeandprofitofthefullstreamof

discussionwithintheconference,whichusuallyissystemicallyandholisticallyoverarchingall

ofthepresentations.

6. ConferenceLanguage

TheofficiallanguageoftheconferenceisEnglish.

7. Contactsandinformation

ForConferenceinformationandupdatespleasechecktheofficialwebsite:

http://sociocybernetics.wordpress.com/12thinternationalconferenceofsociocybernetics/

ForspecificquestionsyoumaydirectlycontacttheChairoftheLocalOrganizingCommittee,

MargaritaMaass([email protected])and/ortheChairoftheInternationalScientific

OrganizingCommittee,EvaBuchinger([email protected]).

Academicregister/student

ID

is

needed

to

grant

the

discount.


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pg5

LOCALORGANIZINGCOMMITTEE

MargaritaMaass [email protected] (Chair)

CarmenCastillo [email protected]

JosAmozurrutia [email protected]

JorgeA.Gonzlez [email protected]

ManuelMeza

Cuervo

[email protected]

INTERNATIONALSCIENTIFICORGANIZINGCOMMITTEE

PatriciaAlmaguerKalixto,Mexico/Spain

EvaBuchinger,Austria(Chair)

CorvanDijkum,Netherlands

FabioGiglietto,Italy

BerndHornung,Germany

DianeLaflamme,Canada

WelookforwardtowelcomingyouinJune,2013.

Local Excursions organised for the 12th Sociocybernetic conference

Saturday22thJune2013.VisittoBlueCenote(45minfromMerida)A Cenote is a deep naturalsinkhole resulting from limestones bedrock

collapsethatexposesgroundwaterunderneath.Theyarecharacteristicof

YucatanPeninsula.ThisisoneofthelargestcenotesofYucatan.

Saturday23th

June

2013.

(45

minutes

from

Merida)

Also knownas The Yellow City, Izamal was an importantarcheological

siteofthePreColumbianMayanCivilization.Izamalwasconsideredasite

ofpilgramages in the region similarly to Chichen Itza. Izamal remains a

placeofpilgrimagenowforthevenerationofRomanCatolicsaints.Izamal

isthehomeofadistillerywhichproducesmescalfromagaveplants.

Saturday29thJune,2013.ChichenItza(1hour.30min.aprox)ChichenItza,ItisoneofthemainandlargepreColumbiancitybuiltbythe

Mayacivilization.IthasbeenrecentlybeinginductedasoneoftheNew7

Wonders of the World. The restored area of the site covers 5 square

kilometers

and

is

home

to

El

Caracol,

one

of

the

oldest

standing

observatories in the Americas, underscoring the advanced astrological

studiesoftheMaya.

Sunday30thJune,2013.BoatrideinCelestn(1hour.30minaprox)CelestnisafishingtownsurroundedbytheCelestunBiosphereReserve,

amangrovesreservethat isthewinterhometovastflocksofflamingos,

asheronsandotherbirdspecies.Itisalsoknownasahatchinggroundfor

endangered sea turtles. Celestun's ecosystem is a combination of fresh

waterfromtheestuaryandsaltwaterfromGulfofMexico.

More details will be provided after registration to the conference.

MargaritaMaass,Mexico

ChaimeMarcuello,Spain

CzeslawMesjasz,Poland

MichaelPateau,Germany

FelipeLaraRosano,Mexico

BernardScott,UnitedKingdom

KarlHeinzSimon,Germany

PatriciaE.AlmaguerKalixto [email protected]

FelipeLaraRosano [email protected]

JessGalindo [email protected]

JuanchoBarrnPastor [email protected]


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pg6

ReportfromtheSCiOConference,

October2012,attheManchesterBusinessSchool,inManchester,UK

Two topicshavebeenon the agendaRC51 for a long time.One is complexity and the

problem of coping with complexity. The other one, brought to discussion recently

especiallybyJohnRaven,attheRC51Conference inFarothissummer, istheworkingof

social processes behind the back of social actors and without being under effective

controlof

such

actors,

be

it

governments,

banks,

business

organizations

or

other

social

actorsattemptingtoinfluencethefateofourorganizations,societies,andafterallthe

human beings. As sociologists we know, that social life is only in part a result of

intentionalaction,inpartitisaresultofunintendedconsequencesofsuchaction,andto

a large extent a result of "the system", i.e. social processes not intended and not

controllablebyactors.

AttheRC51Conference inFarothesetopicsofsociocyberneticsseemedtoconvergeas

exemplifiedbyfourpapersgivenanddiscussedthere.

KarlHeinz

Simon

spoke

about

"Transformations

of

or

in

social

systems

what

elements

arechangingandhow?"dealingwitha sociocyberneticviewof transformation insocial

systemsatthetheoreticallevel.Afterall,however,hesupportedevolutionaryratherthan

transformational change, which is not suprising, as KarlHeinz Simon comes from the

backgroundofecologicalsystems.Forbothkindsofchange,however,thequestionarises,

which processes are required to induce and promote desirable changes. John Raven

presented "Advances in mapping, measuring, and harnessing the complex network of

socialforceswhichliebehindthefunctioningoftheEducationalsystemandhavethe

futureofhumankindandtheplanetintheirgrip"discussingadvancesinhisworkonthe

educationalsystemandwhyitisunmanageableforthesocialactorstryingtoreformit.

Steps Towards Establishing a Task Force on theManagement of Complex Organizations

Bernd R. Hornung, Tony Koryck i, Brian McCarron, Mike McCarron, John Raven

Sharing knowledge, findings and work in progress

HeretwointerestingcontributionsfromourmemberssactivitiesrelatedtoSociocybernetics.The

reportfrom

the

SciO

conference

organized

at

the

Manchester

Business

School

(UK).

And

the

recent

MasterdissertationbyLeandroAramburu,arecentMemberfromArgentinawhojoinedusatthe

11th

SociocyberneticConference inFaro,Portugal. IfyouwanttosharewiththeRC51yourrecent

[email protected]


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pg7

An importantmethodologicaltoolareflowcharts intheformofdirectedgraphsor,asJohncalls

them,systemograms.Averysimilar issue,butatthe levelofoneparticularorganization,a large

university hospital, was the topic of Bernd Hornungs presentation of a case study on "Man,

Motivation, andEmotion atWork inOrganizations Behavior,Action, andEmotion in aMulti

System Environment ". This case study illustrated clearly what happens, if money and

shareholdervalue

is

given

priority

over

social

service,

in

this

case

health

service.

It

was

another

clearcasesupportingtheneedfornewandalternativeconceptsandtheoriesofmanagementfor

managingcomplex systems incomplexenvironments.PedroMedina, finally,spokeabout"Why

arewestillhere?",raisingandanalyzinganumberofhighlycomplexandthereforeunmanageable

majorproblems, to someextentalsoposedbyecosystems, i.e.nature,butwithoutoutlininga

pathtowardssolutions.

Theoverallpicturegivenbythesepresentationsand the fundamentalproblemsraised led John

Raven topropose in theBusiness MeetingofRC51tocollectforcesandinorderto startamajor

researchprojecton this topic.This,however, seemed too ambitious at themoment, so itwas

decidedto

start

with

adiscussion

group

on

the

Internet

to

permit

acoordinated

follow

up

on

these issuesandhopefully thedevelopmentof ideas for solutionswithaminimumof inputof

resources.Oncethisdiscussionwouldbecomesubstantialandcreate impact,aresearchproject,

asproposedbyJohnRaven,couldwellapromisingnextstep.Inotherwords,theideawastohave

an Internetdiscussiongroup thusavoidingmoreorganizationalstructures,moreadministration,

and more resource intensive travel to meetings and conferences during a first phase of

exploration. These ideas, strongly supported by Bernd Hornung, found the approval of the

BusinessMeetingandtheboardofRC51.Soitwasdecidedtogoaheadandconsiderthisefforta

thematicsubgroupofRC51,which,however,wouldnotbelimitedtoRC51members.

Correspondence after the conference resulted nevertheless in the suggestion to use a small

conferenceofSCiOinManchesterforafirstfacetofacemeetingwithsomeofJohnscolleaguesintheUK.Thisinordertooutlineandtodevelopconceptsfortheworkingofthisnewdiscussion

groupfirst,beforegettingitreallystarted.

SCiOstandsfor"SocietyfortheStudyofSystemsThinkingandSocioCyberneticsinOrganisations"

(www.scio.org.uk).AtthetimebeingitisaUKbasedscientificorganization,initiallyfocussingon

promotinganddevelopingfurthertheheritageofStaffordBeer,VSMViableSystemModel,and

itspracticaluseandapplication.VSM, firstpublishedbyStaffordBeer in1959,has its roots in

Manchester.AparticularitySCiOisitsobjectiveandpolicytointegratetheoreticalacademicwork

with the work and concerns of practitioners of management and sociocybernetics, both in

businesscompanies

and

public

institutions.

Therefore

the

membership

of

SCiO,

which

currently

makesefforts togomore international, iscomposedbothofacademicsandpractitionersusing

VSMandsociocyberneticsintheirpracticaldailylives.

Under these aspects SCiO is an interesting partner for RC51with its international and largely

academicorientation. Inparticular, itseemstobeaveryvaluablepartnerforthe issueatstake,

themanagementofcomplexorganizationsinacomplexenvironment,whichcannotworkwithout

asoundtheoreticalfoundation,but forwhich"towork"meansgoingpractical,beingapplied in

reallifecontextsbythemanagersofreallifeorganizationsandreallifeproblems.


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pg8

Several events took place from Sunday, October 7, until Tuesday, October 9, in which

participatedJohnRaven,BerndHornung,andseveralofJohnscolleaguesfromtheUK.These

meetingspermitted toexchange viewson sociocybernetics andViable SystemsModellingas

seenbySCiOandbyRC51.TheSCiOOpenEventattheManchesterBusinessSchoolonMonday,

Oct.8,wasopentothepublicandstartedwithasessionon"SocioCyberneticsandComplex

Organisations"with

contributions

from

John

Raven,

Mike

McCarron,

Bernd

Hornung,

and

Tony

Korycki. This session, focussing on the practical and applied side of sociocybernetic

management,metquitesomeinterestandresultedinalivelydiscussion.

It laid the foundations for an intensive workshop "Beyond Weber" or "SocioCybernetic

Contributions toModelsofManagement forComplexOrganisations"conductedatStockport

thefollowingday,TuesdayOctober9,2012.Thisworkshop,limitedtoasmallgroupofinvited

participants,served todevelopaconcept forthediscussiongroup intended,both intermsof

contents andprocedure.Muchof the timewasdevoted to clarifywhatwouldbe thebasic

conceptsof suchanendeavor,onwhich theparticipantswouldhave toagreebeforehand in

ordertodisposeofacommonpointofdepartureandacommontheoreticalorientation.

It was agreed, that for a certain number of such basic concepts short papers would be

necessarystatingthecommonground,"snacks",sotospeak,whileforquickinformationshort

paragraphs, "bites"wouldbe required too.To create this seriesofpapersa timeframewas

agreed, at the end of which an invitation to participate in the discussion group would be

extendedtothemembersbothofRC51andofSCiOaswellastoanumberofothercolleagues

whomightbeinterested.

Atthismomentanumberofthesepapersareunderreviewbythegroup,afewstillhavetobe

written, and the technicalmeans for discussion still have to be set up.Also a draft for the

invitationto

participate

already

exists

and

will

be

distributed

in

due

time.

The Manchester conference was furthermore an opportunity to explore possibilities of

cooperationbetweenSCiOandRC51.With regard to their targetgroupsand targetactivities

thetwoorganizationsarecomplementaryratherthancompetitors.Itwasagreed,nottostart

with too high ambitions, but to give it a try by exchanging the respective Newsletters and

invitations to each others conferences. Another suggestion was to crossreference the

websites.

WithregardtothegrouponManagementofComplexOrganizations,which,ifsuccessful,might

develop

into

a

task

force

on

this

topic,

the

possibility

was

discussed

to

present

perhaps

some

papersinthe2013RC51Meridaconference,whichcouldformasession,andalsotoproposean

RC51sessiononthistopicattheforthcomingISAWorldCongressofSociologyinJapanin2014.

Thekeytocommunicationanddiscussiononthistopic,however,shouldbeInternetdiscussion

andthepresentationofdiscussionpapersandinformationonanInternetwebsite.Togiveita

start, a first attempt is available at Bernd Hornungs complexity website

.


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pg9

IwasintroducedtothesociocybernicsapproachattendingChaimeMarcuelloslessons

during the first semester of my Master degree, at the University of Zaragoza. This

interestingperspective caughtmyattention right from thebeginningand therefore I

started considering itasapossible theoretical framework formyprospectiveMaster

thesis.In

order

to

go

into

depth

in

understanding

the

possibilities

these

tools

offer

to

me, Iparticipated in the11th

ConferenceonSociocybernetics inFaro,Portugal,Prof.

Marcuello informedmeabout.Themeeting inFarowasagreatopportunitytoget in

contact with experts in the field of Sociocybernetics. The experience was very

informativeas Ihadthechanceofparticipating intheepistemologicaldiscussionsand

attendingthepresentationofresultsrelatedtotheapplicationofthesociocybernetical

perspective.Moreover Iwas given the opportunity to talk to several authors ofmy

current research todiscuss inperson (and via email later) several sociocybernetical

aspectsandthereforedeepenmyunderstandingofkeyconceptsthatwouldbeuseful

formyfollowinganalysis.

This Masters thesis proposes a sociological analysis of an electronic citizen

participation experience in public policy making at the local level. The experience,

calledParticipaCadrete1,tookplaceinthemunicipalityofCadrete(Zaragoza,Spain)

inApril2010.Theprojectintendedtofostertheconjointdecisionbetweenpoliticians,

ordinary citizens, and representatives of associations, in Cultural and Sportive Policy

designthroughtheecognocracymodel.Theecognocracy,orknowledgedemocracy,is

anewgovernment toolwhichcombines representativeanddirectdemocracyvia the

internet.ThismodelwasdevelopedbyJosMaraMorenoJimnez(GDMZ,University

ofZaragoza).

Themain

objective

of

this

investigation

is

the

assessment

of

the

influence

of

the

cultural system on the magnitude of participation in the recorded project. In this

regard,ananalyticalapproachmainlybasedonthecontributionsfromsociocybernetics

andsociologyofculturesisapplied.Ontheonehand,thesociocybernetical2approach

allowsconceivingtheresearchissuefromaholisticperspective,inwhichsystemtheory

andcyberneticsplayakeyrole.Inthisregard,thetownofCadretewasconceivedasa

socialsystembelongingtoabiggersocialsystem,Spain. Inturn,Cadrete isformedby

individualsasactorssystemswhoareinformationandmeaningprocessorsthemselves.

Theprocessingofinformationandmeaningisconductedbytheculturalsystemwithin

thecertainsocialsystem.

Citizen Involvement in the Electronic Design of PublicPolicies: A Sociological Analysis of the e-CognocracyImplementation in the Town of Cadrete

Leandro Aramburu (University of Zaragoza)


10/24


pg10

On the other hand, contributions from sociology of culture were considered to

emphasize the perspective of the citizens involved, conceived as carriers of semiotic

competence which allows them to process and interpret information, knowledge and

meaning, based on which they build their "action strategies". Doing that, this studyaims to emphasize the semiotic aspect of culture and its interrelationships with

individuals,belongingtothesamesocialsystem.

The research strategy applied was a qualitative approach which analyses the

perspective of the social actors. The methodology combines conducting semi

structured interviews with documentary archival work to develop a sociocultural

frameworkinordertointerpretthedata.Thedataanalysistechniquewasthediscourse

analysis. The fieldwork was made in the town of Cadrete during June 2012. The key

finding is that the citizens of Cadrete (including common citizens, politicians, and

representatives

of

associations)

had

to

face

concepts

such

as

politics,

citizen

participation,public sphere,andcitizenship,whichalready existed intheirsystemsof

symbols and meanings (culture). This particular way of conceiving those things was

"responsible" for the dissipation of the public interest in participating in the

experiment. After the experiment, the town (social system) came back to its initial

stabilitywithoutanykindofchangesatthelevelofneitherstructuresnorprocesses.

The implementation of the sociocybernetical approach was very useful in order to

comprehend the stability of a certain social system, in this case Cadrete, despite the

informationexchangewiththeenvironment.Thestabilityisrelatedtothefundamental

featureoftheelementsthatformasocialsystem,thatis,systemactors thataccording

totheirbelongingtoacertainsocialsystemprocessand interpret inaparticularway

information received from the environment. This processing and interpretation of

information, conducted using inherent concepts and categories of the existing the

culturalsystem,islinkedtotheadaptivefunctionoflivingsystems,heresystemactors,

which demonstrate a particular behavior like the low level of participation in the

analyzedexperiment.

1 The Project Participa Cadrete [https://participa.cadrete.es] was partially funding by the

Government of Aragon. Furthemore, the project has been awarded by the European Institute of

Public Administrationwith an EPSA 2011 Best Practice in Topic 2 (Opening Up the Public

Sector Through Collaborative Governance), with the initiative Collaborative Governance with

e-Cognocracy. Design of Public Policies in Cadrete

[http://www.epsa2011.eu/files/BPC%20Recipients%20table%20final.pdf]; and it was also

finalist at United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA 2012) within the 3rd Category

(Fostering Participation in Policy-Making Decision through Innovative Mechanisms), with the

initiative e-Cognocracy: a collaborative and cognitive democracy for public decision making.

Local application in the design of cultural and sports policies Cadrete (Zaragoza).2 According to the Research Committee 51 (on Sociocybernetic)s, of the InternationalSociological Association (ISA), Sociocybernetics can be defined as Systems Science in

Sociology and other Social Sciences [http://www.unizar.es/sociocybernetics/whatis.html].


11/24


pg11

e are getting ready for

NumberofallocatedsessionsforRC51includingBusinessMeeting:18.

Sessions proposals must be sent byMarch 20, 2013to the Program Coordinator, and to the RC51Secretary Czeslaw MESJASZ, [email protected] and RC51 President Eva BUCHINGER,

[email protected]

Proposingatopic:youareexpectedtoorganizethesessionproposedasitssessionorganizerandtobe

abletobepresentinYokohama.Thismeansthatyoushouldbereasonablysuretobeabletoobtain

thenecessarytravelgrantortobeableandwillingtopayyourselffortheexpensesinvolved.

As session organizers usually want to present a paper in the session they organize, the session

organizer is not necessarily identical with the chairperson. The chairperson of a session should not

presentapaperinthesamesession.Ifnecessary,theprogrammecoordinatorwillhelpyoutoidentify

an appropriate chairperson. Of course, if you know persons who work within the area of research

delineated in your Session Proposal, you can invite them yourself directly, once your proposal has

been

approved.

In

the

past,

this

has

often

been

a

good

way

to

attract

new

members.

In

your

Session

Proposalyoushould:

a) clearlydefineanddelineateyoursubjectinrelationtosociocyberneticissues,

b) formulate as explicitly as possible what kind of papers you would like to receive and what

wouldfalljustoutsideyoursubject,and

c) indicatewhattypeofsessionyou intendtoorganize(e.g.,papersessionwithquestionsafter

eachpaper,panelsession,discussionsession,etc.).

RC51supports languagediversityandpromotessessions inspecific languages,beyondthethree ISA

officiallanguages,

English,

French

and

Spanish.

Nevertheless,

in

all

cases,

aversion

in

English

should

be

includedforinternationalpeerreview.

FormalrequirementsforSessionProposals:

A)NameoftheSessionOrganizer,b)PostaladdressoftheSessionOrganizer,c)Emailaddress,d)Title

ofthesessionproposed,e)Languageofthesession,f)A300500wordoutline.Includepgenumbers,if

morethanonepage,g))Fontwithgoodreadability,e.g.Arial10,Times12,i)RTFformat,ifpossible.

FormoreinformationcontacttoChaimeMARCUELLOSERVS,ProgramCoordinator(UniversidaddeZaragoza,Spain)[email protected]


12/24


pg12

This book is an invitation, a provocation, and a challenge to any sociologist and social scientist to

rethinksocialchange,averyoldsociologicaltopic. Itprovidesanewand innovative lookonausually

theoretically illdefined area in an effort to provide an exceptional and consistent theoretical

frameworkfortheanalysisofsocialchange.Theauthorsareatthecuttingedgeofsociocyberneticsand

social systems research, providing a synthesis of different fields mathematical complexity theory like

cellularautomata,graphtheory,networktheory,andchaostheory Inspiteofthiswidemathematical

background,thebook iswellunderstandablebynonmathematicians.Itscontentsareachallengenot

onlyforsystemsscientistsworkingonsocialsystems,butforanysociologisttryingtounderstandsocial

processesandsocialchange.

Onthebasisofasynthesisofmathematicalcomplexitytheory,which isconnectedbothtothewider

field of system theory, in particular the work of Ross Ashby, as well as the sociological tradition, the

authorsarriveatfourstatesacomplexsystemcanreachandbetweenwhichitcanmove:simpleorder,

organizedoftencyclicalorder,chaos,andcomplexity.Theauthorsinvestigateandmakeanumber

of propositions of what could be the detailed mechanisms causing transitions between these four

fundamentalsystemstates.Theyprovidefascinatinghypothesesandsuggestionstoanysocialscientist

strugglingtounderstandtheworkingsofsocialchange.Theauthorsstress,however,thatwithallthese

theoretical tools it still is not possible to predict what will happen, but only to experiment, thus

confirming that (computer) experimentation and simulation is indeed the specific paradigmatic

methodologyofsystemsscienceanditsparadigm.

1.TargetGroups

This book is of interest to anyone who is dealing, in theory or practice, with social change and the

complexityofcontemporarysocietyanditssubsystemsandorganizations.Thatis,itisofrelevancenot

just forsociocyberneticians and systemsscientists dealingwith socialchange, but for any sociologist,

politicalscientist,managementandorganizationalscientistaswellaspeopledealingwiththespecific

topics covered, i.e.art historians, teachers and facilitators workingwith group dynamics and last not

leastthepractitionersofmanagementandpoliticsalongwiththeirconsultants.

Moreover,thepracticalapplicationsofchaostheoryandcomputersimulationtechniquesintherealm

ofsocial

systems

should

be

of

interest

also

to

the

scientists

and

students

of

these

topics,

as

they

are

empiricalchallengestotherespectivetheoreticalwork.

Book review

MAKING SOCIAL CHANGE

(Authors: David Flynn and JimHay)

REVIEWED BY: Ber nd R. Hornu ng

FLYNN,David;HAY,Jim:MakingSocialChange,UnderstandingHowComplexity

ScienceExplains,Predicts&PossiblyControlsMajorSocialChange,1stedition,

GrafiksMarketing&CommunicationsLtd PublishingDivision,Sarnia,Ontario,

Canada2012

ISBN13:9780973933918.

P r e s e n t e d i n t h e 1 2t h

I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o fS o c i o c y b e r n e t i c s , 2 0 1 2


13/24


pg13

2.Contents

The book is divided into twopartswith three chapters eachwith an introductory chapter and a

conclusioninaddition.Thefirstpartdealswiththetheoreticalframeworkproposedbytheauthors,

thesecondpart illustratestheapplicationofthetheorydevelopedbyprovidingthreecasestudies

situatedat

three

different

levels

of

social

systems,

i.e.,

the

group

level,

the

organizational

level

describingthefateofabusinesscompany,andthelevelofasocialsubsystem,takingforanexample

thedevelopmentoftheartsystemduringcertainperiodsofhistory.Thelattermightbeconsidereda

socioculturalsystemratherthansimplyasocialsystem.

ThefirstchapterofPart1,Chapter2,develops,onthebasisofchaostheory,theideathatacomplex

system,analyzedatalevelofabstractionandgeneralitysuitablefordealingwithsocialchangeata

systemstheoretical level, is inoneoffourstateswhichcanbedistinguished:twotypesofordered

states,thestateofchaos,andthecomplexstate.Theproposalofthesefourstatesisdevelopedon

thebasisofthetheoryofcelluralautomataandthepresuppositionthatsocialsystemsarediscrete

systems,just like cellular automata are discrete. The following chapter analyzes how and under

whichconditionsasystemchangesfromonestatetoanother,whileChapter4elaboratesthetheory

that the state and the transition from one state to another basically depends on two variables,

differentiation("D")andcentrality("C")oftherespectivesystem.Thistheoreticalframeworkisused

inthreecasestudiesinthesecondpartofthebook.Chapter5describesandanalyzesatthegroup

level,tosomeextentfromasocialpsychologicalperspective,howthistheorycanbeusedtoexplain

but also todesign and control group dynamicalprocessesof learning and creativityby leading a

groupfromastablestateintoastateattheedgeofchaosorastateofcomplexityinordertopermit

creativityandnewexperiencestoemerge,whichinthefollowinghavetobestabilizedbyleadingthe

groupbackintoanorderedstate.Thisprocessisanalyzedasdependingontherelationshipbetween

"D"differentiationand"C"centralityinthegroup.

Chapter6takestheexampleofaCanadiancompanyproducingtoolsforfarmingwhich,duringalong

period, was very successful by succeeding in maintaining a delicate equilibrium between

differentiationandcentrality,permittingenoughopennessandinnovationtogrow,toadapt,andto

succeed,butfailingintheendasitcouldnotcopewithcertainproblemsofcentralitycausedbythe

(international)financialsystem.Thisisprobablythechapterwhichexplainsbest,whatthetheoryis

allaboutandhowitcanbeappliedtochangeinsocialsystems.

Themost fascinating case,however, is in awayChapter7dealingwith cyclesof changeand the

emergenceofartsystemsbefore,during,andafterthetimeofrenaissance.Thismaybeduetothe

fact

that

art

systems

are

more

than

any

other

societal

systems

sociocultural

systems,

but

also

with

regardtothe linkagemadetodifferentcycles,shortterm,medium,and longterm,whicharealso

postulated and analyzed by economic theory. This example demonstrates that the relationship

betweendifferentiationand centrality canalsobe foundandplaysan important roleatamacro

levellikethatofartsystems,andnotjustatthemicrolevelofgroupsorthemesolevelof(business)

organizations.

5.AppraisalandCriticalIssues

Merits of this approach of David Flynn and Jim Hay are the mathematically oriented consistent

systemframeworkusedforanalyzingsocialchange,embeddingthephenomenonofsocialchangein

a

much

wider

social

context

of

social

networks

as

well

as

integrating

it

into

an

evolutionary


14/24


pg14

perspective.Thustheirtheory isapttoprovideanencompassingoverallviewofsocialchangeand

social evolution, from the first bands of hunters and gatherers to information society and its

cyberspace.Astheexamplesinthebookshow,however,itisalsoapplicabletootherresearchissues

andperspectivesandothersystemlevelslikesmallgroups,organizations or theartsystem,which

arepresentedinthesecondpartofthebook.

Forthe

sociologist

it

takes

some

patience

to

read

through

the

first

technical

chapters

of

the

book,

which are,however, formulated inaway that the informed reader shouldbeable tounderstand

withoutspecial technicalknowledgeof themathematicsofautomata theory.Althoughat the first

glanceitmaylooklikeaverytechnicalandmathematicalapproach,itisnot.Afterall,theapproach

isintrinsicallysociological.

5.1.PremisesandSimplifications

Incertainaspectsitmayappearabitsimplistic,apparentlyreducingtheanalysisofsocialchangeto

differentiationandcentrality,thetwokeyconceptsofthisapproach,butatacloserlookithastobe

takenintoaccountthatthisisafirstproposalopeningupnewavenuesforanalysisandresearchand

thatit

is

backed

by

empirical

evidence.

To

what

extent,

at

what

system

levels,

granularity,

and

under

whatconditionstheanalogywithdynamicmathematicalsystems,i.e.cellularautomata,holdsinthe

longrun,isaquestionoffutureresearch.

Thecentralpremiseoftheauthors is,thatsocialsystemsare,quitecontrarytoLuhmannstheory,

systemscomposedofdiscrete individuals,which thereforecanbeanalyzedbyanalogyasdiscrete

cellularautomata. Lookingat social systems asdiscrete systemsmaywellbea simplification, the

justification ofwhich is not explicitly discussed in the text,just like the theoretical relationships

between process and structure or action and communication in social systems are not explicitly

discussed.Action iscovered,however,bytherulesofcellularautomataandclearlypresent inthe

examples. Social life is both communication and (inter)action, but the latter seems to remain

somewhatin

the

background

in

the

theoretical

part

and

in

the

concept

of

centrality.

To

deal

with

theseissuesinmoredepth,however,maywellhaverequiredanumberofmorechapters.

Whetherphenomena (events,processes,structures) lookdiscreteornot,afteralldependson the

levelofaggregation,abstraction,andinparticularonthetimeframe.Itfurthermoredependsonthe

research problem, in particular in a constructivist approach. In the end,both system theory and

cyberneticsareconstructivist.Seenatahighersystemlevel,discreteeventsturnoutascontinuous.

Alsotheargument,that individualsarediscretecouldbedoubted: isan individualastructureora

process?Isastructureadiscreteunit/event,orisita"slowvariable"?Thesereflectionsalsoconcern

theconceptof"chaos"itself,whichinitsmathematicalcontextisdiscrete,butwhatisitinthesocial

context?Explaining

social

change

by

just

two

variables,

centrality

and

differentiation,

also

looks

like

an extreme simplification, although becauseof this it can be considered a (mathematically) very

elegantsolution.Thehighlevelofaggregationcertainlyopensupusefulinsights,newperspectives,

andnew startingpoints for investigatingalsomoredetailed aspectsof changewithin thisoverall

framework. And this solution is successful, at least as far as the case studies presented are

concerned.

For further work along these lines it will be necessary to provide better indications of how to

operationalizedifferentiationandcentrality,i.e.,measuresandindicatorshavetobedeveloped.Also

severaloftheconceptsusedstillneedtobesharpenedandbetterdefined,includingtheconceptof

socialsystemitself.


15/24


pg15

5.2.Luhmann

InthisrespectthereferencetoLuhmann,althoughonlyveryshort,andalsotheuseoftheconcept

ofautopoiesis inafewplacescreatecontradiction.Thiswasalreadymentionedwithregardtothe

roleofthe individual,whichaccordingtoLuhmann isoutsidethesocialsystem.The latter,ontop,

consistsofcommunicationsonlyand isanautopietic, i.e.an"operationally"closedsystem.Onthe

otherhand,

centrality

implies

anetwork

perspective,

which

is

essentially

an

open

systems

perspective.Inparticularthecasestudiesshowimpressivelyhowthechangingrelationshipbetween

differentiationandcentrality(d/c),whichisresponsibleforsuccessfulorunsuccessfulsocialchange

inthetheoryofFlynnandHay isanopeningandclosingofbordersofsocial (sub)systems,which

doesnotfitatallwithautopoiesisandLuhmannstheory,butperfectlywithopensystemstheoryof

nonLuhmannianapproaches,inparticularinthetraditionofLudwigvonBertalanffyorofHeinzvon

Foerster,dealingwiththecreationoforderfromchaosbyselforganization.

5.3.Fractals

Anotherreference,whichalso looksmorelikeatributetoafashionableconcept,ormaybealoose

analogy, than providing a substantial contribution, is the idea of fractals. The phenomenon of a

superpositionof

waves

and

curves

("near"

cycles)

does

not

automatically

constitute

fractals.

It

looks

more like overextending the concept, which in this case can be used at best in a very loose

metaphorical sense. The theory of Flynn and Hay has enough merit in itself, not needing such

enhancements.

5.4.OtherRelevantConcepts

Insomeplacesonewouldwishforamorethoroughanddeeperintegrationwithotherconceptsof

system theory. Startingpoints areprovided that couldwellbemaybe tasksof a futurebook.The

issuesofprocess/structure and action/communication in social systemswerementioned already.

Other issues which would deserve further elaboration are cultural vs. biological evolution, eco

systemsas

atype

of

tightly

integrated

systems

but

without

central

control

units,

but

also

adaptivity

as structural change and the phenomenon of emergence, i.e., the appearance of new system

propertiesandinnovation,whichcertainlyplaysanimportantroleinsocialchange.Aquestionwhich

also remains open, maybe rightly so, under the heading of social change but indispensable for

developmentandalsoevolution, is "What for?" i.e. the issueofgoals,norms,andvaluesand the

evaluationofsocialchange.Allofthemplayimportantrolesinsociallife.

5.5TheMatrixofSystemStates

Finally,thetheoryandthebookconcentrateontherelationshipbetweenchaosandthetwostates

ofcomplexityandcyclicorder.Itmightbeinteresting,too,however,totakeacloserlookatthefirst

state,staticorder,whichisestablishedasoneofthefourstatesbutthennotfurtherdealtwith.

6.RelevanceandConclusion

A central issue,which stillneeds thoroughdiscussionby sociologistsand social scientiestson the

basisofwhat theauthorspropose in thisbook, i.e., itsprovocationand challenge, is theanalogy

betweendiscretecellularautomata,virtualsystems,and reallifesocialsystems.Suchadiscussion

mayhelp tobring sociology and theother social sciences forward,help them to find a common

language, andhelp them to get equipped formeeting the challengesof fast andmanifold social

changeinourcurrentcybersocietiesinwhichthefuturehasalreadybegun.

Moreinformationaboutthethebook,theauthors,andtheirresearchcanbefoundontheirwebsite:

http://www.makingsocialchange.com/index.html


16/24


pg16

TheProblem

Contemporary social problems can barely be understood or acted upon on the basis of one single

scientificdiscipline.Thiswouldmeantoignoreanddismissmanycrucialfactorswhichareattheroots

of the problems, thus aggravating rather than ameliorating the situation. This means that

interdisciplinaryapproachesare indispensable ifthepeculiaritiesofthe problemaretobedealtwith

and not merely the problems of the discipline. Interdisciplinary work, however, also depends on a

common language like mathematics or system theory and on such a basis this book proposes an

"adaptive

model

for

interdisciplinary

research"

together

with

a

corresponding

theoretical

approach.

These,combinedwiththeresearchteamandthesocialactorsinvestigated,constituteasystemwhich

approaches the problem investigated in a heuristic adaptive process, thus promising to develop new

answerstothecontemporarysocialproblemswhicharestronglycharacterizedbytheircomplexity.

But also the title itself, "Complexity and Social Sciences" refers to two different levels. One is the

complexityoftheobjectsof thesocial sciences,thesocial systems investigated,the otherone isthe

complexityofthesocialsciencesthemselvesassystems,whichareinvestigating.Itmaynotbeevident

at the first look, what the author is up to with his title and subtitle, when talkingabout an adaptive

model for interdisciplinary research. The author coming from a background of mathematics and

informatics,

one

might

suspect

an

adaptive

computer

system

or

software

model.

In

a

certain

way

this

is

indeedthecase.Inastrictsense,however,atechnicalsystem,likeacomputermodel,canlearn,butit

cannot be adaptive, i.e., change itsownstructureson itsown.Thisrequires a programmer ora user

whocanbringforthsuchstructuralchanges.

Thisisthepointwheretwoothercentralconceptscomein.Secondordercybernetics/observationand

interdisciplinarity. The author, the book, and the computer model described do not simply aim at

investigating,modelling,andunderstandingasubjectareaofthesocialsciences,likeaschool,whichis

takenforanexampleinthebookandwhichis1storderobservation.Instead,theobjectiveistoinclude

(selfreflexively)theselfobservationoftheteamdoingsucha1storderresearch.Thisthenconstitutes

2nd order observation and 2nd order research. Moreover, such 2nd order observation is extended

beyonddisciplinary

boundaries

providing

abasis

for

interdisciplinary

cooperation,

(self

)reflection,

and

Book review

COMPLEJIDAD Y CIENCIASSOCIALES. Un modelo adaptivo para

la investigacin interdiscipl inaria(Complexity and Social Sciences.An Adaptive

Model for Interdisciplinary Research)

Author: Jos A. Amozurrutia de Maria y Campos

REVIEWED BY: Ber nd R. Hornu ng

AMOZURRUTIADEMARIAYCAMPOS,JosA.:Complejidadycienciassociales,

Unmodeloadaptivoparalainvestigacininterdisciplinaria,Primeraedicin,

ColeccinDebateyReflexin,UNAMCEICH UniversidadNacionalAutnomade

Mxico,MxicoD.F.2011ISBN13:9786070227080.With494pages,178

figures

P r e s e n t e d i n t h e 1 2t h I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e o fS o c i o c y b e r n e t i c s , 2 0 1 2


17/24


pg17

fortakingintoaccount(critically)differentdisciplinaryperspectives.Fromthispointofviewthebook

presentsacomputermodelasanadaptive(orratheradaptable)technicaltool,whichis,however,part

of a research system that also includes the (interdisciplinary) research team, representing different

theoreticalaswellasdisciplinaryperspectives. In theend, it is thisoverall research systemwhich is

indeedadaptive.

TargetGroups

In the first place this book is a valuable resource for all practitioners of social science research

irrespectiveoftheirdiscipline.Beyondthose,itisofinteresttoallsocialscientistswhosimplywantto

understandmethodologyandtheoryfordealingwithcontemporarycomplexreallifesystems,thisalso

withouttheambitiontoapplycomputersimulation.Thesameistrueforanybodyinterestedinoreven

practicinginterdisciplinarity.

Moreover, cognitive scientists, informatitions, computer scientists, especially those dealing with

ArtificialIntelligence(AI)systems,shouldbeinterestedinthemoretechnicalpartsofthisbook.Thatis

notto

say,

that

the

author

really

proposes

an

AI

system.

The

use

of

this

modelling

software

and

its

"adaptivity" is highly dependent on intensive interaction between users and system, so it is to be

classifiedasadecisionsupportsystemratherthananAIsystem.Thebookcanalsoberecommendedto

graduate students interested in one or several of the three main topics: interdisciplinarity, social

scienceresearchmethodologyandtheory,andcomputermodelling.

4.Contents

Thebookisdividedintothreeparts.Thefirstoneexplainstheproblemofdoingresearchinacomplex

and highly dynamicworld. It introduces the concepts of observers and perspectives aswell as the

generalsystemic/cyberneticbackground.Thesecondpartdevelopsthetheoreticalfoundationsofthis

approach,which

are

mainly

the

genetic

psychology

of

Piaget

on

the

one

the

hand

and

system

theory

andcyberneticsontheother.Thethirdpart, finally,arrivesatakindofsynthesisexplaining indetail

boththesoftwarebasedcomputermodelandtheroleand interactionoftheresearchteamwiththe

computermodelandwithempiricaldata. Inthe lastpartacasestudyofaschoolwithaproblemof

absenteeims is presented, demonstrating the use of this particular approach and of the computer

modelwhichgoesalongwithit.

The firstpart analyzes theproblemofdoing social research in a complex and fastmovingworld, in

whichasinglescientificdisciplinecan,asarule,captureatbestapartofarealworldproblem,while

disciplinary problems are rarely relevant to the realworld. The author thereforemakes a case for

interdisciplinaryresearch,

which,

however,

raises

new

problems

like

that

of

understanding

other

disciplines. This, in theend, requires a common language.Mathematics is such a language,but too

abstract for many problems and at best applicable in quite specific parts of the social sciences.

Thereforetheauthorarguesinfavorofsynthesizinginformatics,cybernetics,andsystemsscience,allof

whicharebasedonmathematics,butprovidemoreconcreteframeworkstobeused insocialscience

research, which is to a considerable extent qualitative and not quantitative. The author considers

qualitativeandquantitativeascomplementaryaspects, notascontradictions.Asafirstapproachtoan

answertothechallenges,problems,andnewquestionsforsocialscienceresearchraised inthispart,

theauthorproposesaninterdisciplinary,systembasedapproachor,inthecontextofsocialsciences,

sociocyberneticapproach,usingasakeycomponentcomputermodellingandsimulation,whichcan

beconsideredastheparadigmaticmethodofsystemsscienceandcybernetics.This iscomplemented

byan

explicit

inclusion

into

the

theoretical

framework

of

different

observers

and

perspectives,

observersobservingalsothemselves,thusfollowingthecredoof2ndordercybernetics.


18/24


pg18

While,inaway,thefirstpartpresentstheformalapproachandmethodologytobedevelopedlateron

asa response to theproblem, the secondpartpresents the substantialkeycomponents.One is the

geneticpsychologyofPiaget,whichprovidesthetheoreticalfoundationsforthewayadaptivityisbeing

dealtwithlateron.Herethefocusoftheauthorisontherolewhichrelationsandrelationsofrelations

play, an issue also closely related to system theory. A second focus are three mechanisms for

constructingcognitions,

which

later

on

will

be

used

for

computer

modelling

as

well

as

in

the

methodological approach to interdisciplinary teamwork.A second key component is system theory.

HeretheauthorusestheframeworkofopensystemtheoryfollowingbasicallyLudwigvonBeralanffy

and the tradition going back to Heinz von Foerster with regard to 2nd order cybernetics and self

organization. The concepts of nontrivial systems and of adaptive systems are introduced, and the

connectionsbetweensystemtheoryandPiagetiangeneticpsychologyareestablished.

The third part finally presents themethodology for constructing what the author calls an adaptive

computermodel, intendedtobeapplicabletoanycomplexsocialscienceresearchproblem.Thispart

providesadetaileddescriptionofthemodel.Strictlyspeaking,andtouseadifferentterminology,what

ispresented

is

not

amodel

of

areal

world

social

research

problem

area

but

ameta

model

or

ashell

to

beusedasa tool formodellinga realworld social researcharea.As such,however, it isamodelof

(parts of) the functioning of a research team in interaction with its research area. In the end, the

"adaptivesystem"theauthor istalkingabout, isnotthecomputermodel,butthesystemconstituted

bythecomputermodelininteractionwiththeresearchteam(s),and ininteractionwiththeempirical

reality(anditsactors)tobeinvestigated.

Thispartofthebookdescribesindetailacasestudyasanexampleofhowtousethecomputermodel

presentedalongwithitsmethodologicalandtheoreticalfoundationsandaspects.Itbecomesclear,that

thiskindofmethodologyand theory isbasedonparticipatory research,orwhat the authorandhis

colleaguesfromtheAutonomousUniversityofMexicocall"cibercultura""cyberculture",andtosome

extentongroundedtheory. Italsobecomesclear,thattheadaptivityofthemodel orratheroftheoverall system results from an iterative process of collecting empirical data, processing it in the

computermodelonthebasisofthetheoriesandknowledgeoftheresearchteam,andthentakingthe

resultsbacktothefieldforconfirmationoradaptationand,ifnecessary,subsequentadaptationofboth

theknowledgeandthetheoriesoftheresearchteamandthecomputermodelitself.

5.AppraisalandCriticalIssues

A certain problem is, not to lose orientation in the complexity of the details this text and its

terminology.InparticularinChapter7severalcloselyrelatedtermsareused,anditisnotalwayseasy

to keep apart,what they are referring to, e.g. "model", "module", and "subsystem".Also the term

"system" refers to severaldifferentkindsof systems,whicharenot alwaysease tokeep apart:Thegeneral concept of system; the (empirical) realworld systems; the conceptual/logical/mathematical

systemsasconstructions intheheadsofhumanbeings,e.g.theresearcherswhohavetheircognitive

models,modelsofrealworldproblemsandsystemsinthecomputer,andfinallythesoftwaresystem.

Especiallyforanovicethismaybeabitconfusing.

Aconceptualdifficultyarises,whenintersectingcirclesareusedtorepresentthedifferent(sub)systems

likeinsettheory(1).Especiallyifthediagramsarenotmeantaslooseillustrationsbutasprecisemaps

of software and other systems based on a mathematical approach, it is at bestmisleading to find

intersectionsinsteadofinterfaces.


19/24


pg19

AlsomisleadingisthereferencetothetheoryofsocialsystemsofNiklasLuhmann(1).First,wecannot

say thatLuhmann integrated "biology"and "mathematics" intohis theory.Ataclose look,Luhmann

hadnot really takena lot from these twodisciplinesbutjusta few concepts from twoauthors, the

biologist Maturana and the mathematician Spencer Brown, whose contributions are not even

widespread in their own discipines. Moreover he had taken and adapted ("luhmannized") those

conceptswhich

he

built

into

his

own

theory.

The

question,

whether

these

integrations

still

reflect

the

originaltheoriesisveryquestionable. Maturanaatanyratedoesnotagree.Theapproachpresentedin

thepresentbook isclearly2ndOrderCybernetics inthetraditionofHeinzvonFoerster,butvery far

fromLuhmannstheoryofautopoiesis.

What is fascinating,however, is that the author really does SecondOrderCybernetics,observation,

research,andmodelling.It isnotjustamatterofreconstructingandsimulatingthatschool,takenfor

anexampleinthelastpartofthebook,whichhasaproblemofabsenteeism.Theapproachpresented

is one of reconstructing and simulating the decisionmaking and cognitive processes of that

headmaster,theotherteachers,andthestudentsinvolvedinthatresearchanddecisionmaking.These

persons analyze the absenteeproblem in their turn. Inotherwords, the focus ison theprocess of

resolvingthe

problem,

not

on

the

problem

itself.

This

also

explains

why

the

computer

model

does

not

havethecircularfeedbackloops liketraditionalsimulationmodels,butratherahierarchicalstructure

foraggregatingandsummarizingdata toarriveataclearconclusionon thebasisofa lotofdetailed

data.ThiscorrespondstoPiagetsapproach.Inthiswaytheauthorprovidesatooltoassistandanalyze

inasecondorderobservationtheresearchanddecisionmakingprocesswhichinitsturncandealwith

anykindofpractical socialproblem.The software is flexibleandadaptive (or ratheradaptable),but

adaptive alsowith regard to the "firstorder"model, e.g.,of the school,which looksdifferent from

differentperspectives(or"niveles")andchangesastheresearch/decisionmakingprocessprogresses.

Takingthiskindofview, it isplausiblethattheprocessesmodelled,andthe(computer)model itself,

areakindofhierarchicalonewaystreetfromalotofdetaileddatatoacomplexityreducingdecision:

"Thisis

what

we

should

and

want

to

do!"

On

the

way

to

that

decision,

however,

there

are

alot

of

negotiations and feedbacks between the computermodel and its users. If necessary, the research

teammaystepbackagainforarestart,butideallythereisaclearresultintheend.

Thisisaquitedifferentsetupfromusualcomputermodelsusedtorepresente.g.aschoolandmaking

itpossibletoplayandexperimentwiththeschoolasasystem. Insuchacasethe"negotiations",also

aboutvaluesandgoals,takeplacestrictlyinthemindsoftheresearchersorinworkingpapers,butnot

inthecomputermodel.Theapproachproposed inthisbook,however,triestomodelpreciselythose

processes, forwhichPiagetandneuronalsystemsare indeedappropriate frameworks.Modellingthe

cognitive processes of the individual researcher or an entire research team focusses naturally on a

hierarchicalaggregationof information,whilemodellingrealworldsystems, insystemicterms,needs

tofocusonfeedbacks,circularcausality,systemsandsubsystems,etc.

6.RelevanceandConclusion

Thisbookcanbefullyrecommendedforcarefulstudy.Itmaynotbeeasilyunderstandable,especially

for students.This impressionof the reviewermay inpartbea resultof thecomplexityof the issues

beingdealtwith,butpossiblyitmayalsobeduetothefact,thatthereviewerisnotanativespeaker.

Theoverallsystemandapproach,aswellasthesoftwarewhichispartofit,canbeaveryvaluabletool

foranykindofsocialorsociocyberneticresearch.Itiscertainlyworthwhilereading inordertoknow

whereisthecuttingedgeofcontemporaryinterdisciplinarysocialscienceresearch.

FindmoreaboutthebookandgetopenaccesscourtesyofUNAM:http://www.ceiich.unam.mx/0/51LibFic.php?tblLibros_id=449


20/24


pg20

Book announcements and other publications

Niklas Luhmann and His

Relevance for Constructivism

Constructivist Foundations Volume 8,Number 1 15 November 2012

edited by Alexander Riengler & Armin Scholl

A special issue of the SCIlisted journalConstructivist

Foundationson

Niklas

Luhmann

and

His

Relevance

for

ConstructivismwaspublishedinNovember2012.Wecall

your attention to it as there are RC51 members

contributingtothisissue.

CONTENTS

Editorial:NiklasLuhmannandtheSociologicalTurninConstructivism(AlexanderRiegler&ArminScholl)

Between

Realism

and

Constructivism?

Luhmann's

Ambivalent

Epistemological

Standpoint(Armin

Scholl)WhoObserves?AnAppropriateTheoryofObservationisinDemand(HeikeEgner)WhatExistsbetweenRealismandConstructivism?(ArminNassehi)Author'sResponse:WhatConstructivismDoesnotSay(ArminScholl)LuhmannandtheConstructivistHeritage:ACriticalReflection(EvaBuchinger)ACircularCommentonLuhmannasaQuestionGenerator(KarlH.Mller)OnReadingandCritiquingLuhmann(BernardB.C.Scott)Luhmann'sLegacy:IlluminatingConstructivism,orIllLuhmannizedConstructs?(RandallWhitaker)Author'sResponse:AdoptionStrategiesandApplicabilityofLuhmann'sApproach(EvaBuchinger)ObservingEnvironments(HugoF.Alre&EgonNoe)

TheConstruction

of

Embodied

Agency:

The

Other

Side

of

the

System

Environment

Coin(Tom

Ziemke)

MultipleEnvironments!?(KarlHeinzSimon)TheComplexityofEnvironmentinSocialSystemsTheory(BernhardFreyer&RebeccaLouisePaxton)

Authors'Response:Systems,Environments,andtheBody(HugoF.Alre&EgonNoe)MakingSenseandMeaning:OntheRoleofCommunicationandCultureintheReproductionofSocial

Systems(RaivoPalmaru)ComparingIncomparability:TheFunctionalDistinctionbetweenOperationandIdentity(TinoG.K.Meitz)WhyCulture?(MartinZierold)Author'sResponse:CultureMatters(Raivo Palmaru)

RadicalConstructivism

and

Radical

Constructedness:

Luhmann's

Sociology

of

Semantics,

Organizations,

andSelfOrganization(LoetLeydesdorff)


21/24


pg21

SymbolicallyGeneralizedCommunicationMedia:ACategoryMistake?(KateDistin)SomeReflectionsonMeaning(RogerHarnden)Author'sResponse:TheContinuousReconstructionofaPluralisticSocietyasanOrderof Expectations

(LoetLeydesdorff)

Communication

Emerging?

On

Simulating

Structural

Coupling

in

Multiple

Contingency(Manfred

Fllsack)IsCommunicationEmergingorSuiGeneris?(LoetLeydesdorff)CommunicationWithoutEmergence?(ThomasKron&PascalBerger)Author'sResponse:SystemsasRealitiesSuiGeneriswithEigenbehavior?(ManfredFllsack)

REGULARARTICLE

ConstructivistCriteriaforOrganisingandDesigningEducationalResearch:HowMightanEducational

ResearchInquiryBeJudgedfromaConstructivistPerspective?(SandraJ.Kemp)

REVIEWS

TheGameofFictionalMathematics. ReviewofMathematicsandRealitybyMaryLeng(JoachimFrans)

Me,Music,andI:EmbodiedandEnactiveCognitionmeetsMusic. ReviewofMusicandConsciousness

editedbyDavidandErikClarke(JakubRyszardMatyja)

Observing Law through Systems Theory(By Richard Nobles1and David Schiff2)

LEGAL THEORY TODAY - NO. 13 (ISBN 9781849462181)

This book uses Niklas Luhmann's systems theory to explore

how the legal system operates as one of modern society's

subsystems. The authors demonstrate how this theory alters

our understanding of some of the most important and

controversial issues within law: the nature of judicial

communication and legal argument; the claim that it can be

right to disobey law; the character of legal pluralism and

globalisation;

time

and

its

construction

within

law;

the

significanceoftheruleoflawandhumanrightsandtheroleof

appeals to, and within, law.Systems theory enables the

authorstodemonstratehowthelegalsystemobservesitsown

operations through its own communications, and how this

contrasts with the manner inwhich law isobserved byother

systems such as the media and politics. In this context the

authors explore the constraints imposed by systems, in

particular the legal system, upon the individuals who

participatein

them.

1ProfessorofLawatQueenMary

UniversityofLondon.

2ProfessorofLawatQueenMary

UniversityofLondon.

ForMore

information

abou

tthe

book

see:http://www.hartpub.co.uk/books/detai

ls.asp?isbn=9781849462181


22/24


pg22

Sociocybernetics,asa scienceofsociety in thecyberneticperspective,comes, inconnectionwith

the publication of a collective (76 coauthors from 26 countries) book of the Global Harmony

Association (GHA) "The ABC of Harmony", to the next level, which can be defined as

"Sociocyberneticsof theThirdOrder"or"Sociocybernetics3".But firstarea fewwordsabout the

book.

TheABCofHarmonyforWorldPeace,HarmoniousCivilizationandTetranetThinking,Global

Textbook (firstpublished inEnglish in India,NewDelhi,DoosraMatPrakashan,2012,334pages,

ISBN9788192310862), shortly: TheABCofHarmony,waspreparedwithinGHA in2011 and

publishedinearlyFebruary2012inRussianinSt.PetersburgandinEnglishinNewDelhi,India. The

book issubmittedalso inthetwoelectronicformats: http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=478

HTMLand

http://www.peacefromharmony.org/file/6079/ABC_of_Harmony_eng.pdfPDF.

Among its 76 coauthors are prominent scientists, peacemakers, artists and politicians:

former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam; architect of Ronald Reagans economic reform, Dr.

Norman Kurland; head of the international organization of doctors (IPPNW), which received the

NobelPeacePrizein1985,Prof.ErnestoKahan;ChancellorofthePedagogicalIASEDeemedGandhi

University,KanakMalDugar;CatholicProfessorandtheUNagent,Dr.FranoisHoutart;Presidentof

World Esperanto Association, Prof. Renato Corsetti; President of International Association of

Educators forWorldPeace,Prof.CharlesMercieca;Presidentof InternationalForumforLiterature

andCultureofPeace,Prof.AdaAharoni;SecretaryGeneralof"WorldConstitutionandParliament"

Association,Prof.

Glen

Martin;

prominent

Russian

Professors:

Vladimir

Bransky,

Gregory

Tulchinsky,

AlexanderSubetto,DimitryIvashintsovandmanyothers.

The ABC of Harmony opens before all spectrum of social sciences the perspective of

qualitativeparadigmshifttoanewtheoreticalleveloftheirdevelopment.Suchitsmeaningiswell

unfolded by the example of Sociocybernetics. The theoretical basis of the ABC of Harmony is

Tetrasociology as a science of social and individual harmony, global harmony and harmonious

civilization.ThecloseideatiesofTetrasociologywithSociocyberneticsaredisclosedinthejointwork

of Bernd Hornung, Bernard Scott, and Leo Semashko [1]. Bernard Scott is deeply revealed the

contentsoftwomainstagesofSociocybernetics:thefirstandsecondorders[2,andetc.].

TheABC

of

Harmony

systematizes

the

20

fundamental

elements/spheres

of

the

deep

structureof socialharmony fromTetrasociology in fivenecessary, sufficient, coherent, and tetra

dimensionalclusters:

1.RESOURCES:People,Information,Organization,Things(PIOT),

2.PROCESSES:Production,Distribution,Exchange,Consumption(PDEC),

3.STRUCTURES/SPHERES:Socio,Info,Org,Techno(SIOT),

4.CLASSES:Socio,Info,Org,Techno(SIOTclasses)

5.INDIVIDUAL:Character,Consciousness,Will,Body(CCWB)

Overview of the ABC of Harmony

By Dr . Leo Semanshk o (Co-author)


23/24


pg23

TheABCofHarmonyunitesandcombinesthemintheformoftheworld'sfirstsocialgenomeof

society: http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=486. Social genome or SOCIONOME

presents a society at all it levels global, regional, national and local as a one harmonious self

organizingsociocyberneticsystemof20 fundamentalsocietalspheres.Suchanunderstandingof the

integrityof

society

in

Sociocybernetics

was

represented

the

first

time.

However,

it

can

arise

only

as

the

developmentand integrationoftheSociocyberneticsfundamental ideasof itsfirsttwoorders.These

are the ideasofWiener (1948,1954),vonBertalanffy (1950,1972),Ashby (1956),Beer (1972),Pask

(1975,1979),andespeciallytheideasofselforganizationandautopoieticatthemacrolevel(Maturana

and Varela, 1980) and Luhmann (1989, 1995), as well as similar ideas at the microlevel of social

psychology and learning of Bernard Scott (2001, 2002, etc.):

http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=64.

SOCIONOME it is a macrolevel of sociology and Sociocybernetics. Besides it, TheABC of

Harmony creates a holistic theoretical image of society on the human level as its themicrolevel

PSYNOME,whichisalsoasthemicrolevelforsociologyandSociocybernetics:(ibidem).Bothofthese

levelsarethefractallysimilar,expressingadeepstructuralandharmonioussimilarityofsociety in its

extremelevelsofmicro andmacro world.

TheABCofHarmony and itsSOCIONOMEandPSYNOME, covering theholistic society at the

macro andmicro levels, raise Sociocybernetics on the level of its third order knowledge. This new

sociological and sociocybernetic paradigm is as the subject for new fundamental research in them

futuredevelopment.TheABCofHarmony thisisthebeginningofSociocyberneticsofthethirdorder

inwhich the global society at all levels seems as a one perfectly and harmoniously selforganizing

cyberneticmachineofthe20societalspheres.TheABCofHarmonyentersintothiscyberneticmachine

the harmonious social knowledge, thinking and consciousness of all its elements, processes and

relationships.This

harmonious

consciousness

and

thinking

transforms

it

from

aspontaneous,

violent

andintuitivemachineintoselfconsciousandrational,nonviolentsystemasthetruehumansystem.It

selforganizesnownotviolently,as inthepasthistory,andconsciouslyandnonviolently inharmony

with the ABC appearance, opening the global harmonious education in this ABC. It defines

Sociocybernetics3.

Notes:

[1].Tetrasociologyandsociocybernetics:towardsacomparisonofthekeyconcepts,byBerndHornung,

Germany; Bernard Scott, UK; Leo Semashko, Russia in a book (2003): TETRASOCIOLOGY: FROM A

SOCIOLOGICALIMAGINATIONTHROUGHDIALOGTOUNIVERSALVALUESANDHARMONY,presentedin

English,

Russian,

and

Esperanto:

http://www.peacefromharmony.org/docs/22_eng.pdf

[2].BernardScott.FacilitatingOrganizationalChange:SomeSociocyberneticConceptsAndPrinciples,

Maribor,July,2005:http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=64

Formoreinformation:Dr.LeoSemashko,GHAPresident,TheABCofHarmonyEditorinChief,

Member,RC51Sociocybernetics,InternationalSociologicalAssociation

Theauthors27reviewsareat:http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=489

Thebookmaybeorderedat:http://www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=508.


24/24


IFSR and ISA Events information

FromINTERNATIONALFEDERATIONFORSYSTEMSRESEARCH(IFSR)members:

July2013:SystemicsforProcessCohesion(Volos,Greece)

HellenicSocietyforSystemicStudies(HSSS).9th.HSSSNational&International

Conference.SystemicsforProcessCohesion 11 13July,2013,Volos,Greece.incollaboration

withtheUniversityofThessalyXeniaVolosHotel,Informationemail:[email protected]

ForthcomingebookSeries"BusinessSystems"byB.S.Lab

BusinessSystemsLaboratoryisgoingtotopresenttoIFSRmembersitsforthcomingebookseries

"BusinessSystems". "BusinessSystems"willpublishshortessaysofmaximum2030A4pages

(longerworkscanbedividedinmorebooks).Themaintopicsare:SystemsThinking,Cybernetics,

ViableSystems,withaspecialfocusontheapplicationoftheseapproachesto:Management,

Marketing,Economics

and

Finance.

Find

more

in

BS

Lab:

Business

Systems

Laboratory

(IFSR

FullMember)informantionat http://www.bslaboratory.net/

FromISA:

ISAXIIthInternationalLaboratoryforPh.D.StudentsinSociology

Theme:TowardsaGlobalSociologyJuly1520,2013

UniversityofSydney,Australia http://www.isasociology.org/isa_lab.htm

SocialJustice&DemocratizationSpace

ThisisanewISAprojectinitiatedbyMargaretAbraham,ISAVPResearchanddevelopedin

partnershipwith

Robert

Rojek,

and

Naomi

Blumsom,

SAGE

Publications.

This

site

is

available

for

alltoAccessFindmoreathttp://sjdspace.sagepub.com/

The RC51 Newsletter i s open f or per manent f eedback t o i nt egr at e newsuggest i ons and i deas t o achi eve i t s goal : promot e news among the I SA

RC51 member s and a br oader sci ent i f i c communi t y i nterest ed i nSoci ocyber net i cs.

Pl ease cont act t he Newsl et t er edi t or f or any i nf or mat i on you woul dl i ke t o i ncl ude or any f ur t her suggest i on.

Patricia Almaguer-Kalixto pal maguer @l abcompl ex. net

RC51websitehttp://sociocybernetics.wordpress.com

ISAwebsitehttp://www.isasociology.org

EndoftheRC51newsletterIssue27

Documents

ISA RC51 Newsletter Lssue 27 (January 2013)