Ross Ashby's general theory of adaptive systems

Abstract

In the 1950s and 1960s Ross Ashby created a general theory of adaptive systems. His work is well known among cyberneticians and systems scientists, but not in other fields. This is somewhat surprising, because his theories are more general versions of the theories in many fields. The philosophy of science claims that more general theories are preferred because a small number of propositions can explain many phenomena. Why, then, are Ashby's theories not widely known and praised? Do scientists really strive for more general, parsimonious theories? This paper reviews the content of Ashby's theories, discusses what they reveal about how scientists work, and suggests what their role might be in the academic community in the future.

Keywords:

• cybernetics
• complexity
• adaptation
• self-organisation
• requisite variety

Acknowledgements

This article benefited from helpful comments by George Klir and Peter Asaro, for which the author is grateful.

Notes

^1. Based on a presentation at the W. Ross Ashby Centenary Conference, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, March 4–6, 2004.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Stuart A. Umpleby

1. 1. Based on a presentation at the W. Ross Ashby Centenary Conference, University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, March 4–6, 2004.