Stafford Beer in Designing Freedom – Massey Lectures rightly points out that cybernetics is the science of effective organization. In the essay the interpretation of society and institution which is run for the people effectively talks about how a society commits for more and more resources in order to plaster the cracks in the system and still those reappear. This shows the sheer lack of obligation for building a great people’s organization. The citizen’s freedom is misconstrued which if put to right use can redesign and rebuilt better institutions. The citizens themselves being in democratic society should have their own tools to design the society. This can better stabilize the system.
In ‘The Human Use of Human Beings’ by Norbert Wiener feedback is being illustrated with reception of messages. Feedback is the closed signaling loop of messages which ultimately triggers change. It is being said to be a real time response. The idea is well put forth by stating the communication between two end users wherein the information processed by the second user is primarily known only to him unless he speaks or passes on to the first user. The second illustration is that of the sensor door of elevator. Cybernetics hence is defined by Wiener as the theory of messages; messages between human to human, human and machine & machine to machine.
Gordon Pask in the reading ‘The Architectural Relevance of Cybernetics, finds a significant void in architectural theory and hence notes cybernetics as the abstract concept interpreted in architectural terms to form a theory which constitutes functionalism and mutualism towards architecture. The essay emphasizes the idea of making, creating and running a system and not just an architectural individual entity. Modelling a system which becomes an organization and lets a responsible architect to work on evolutionary projects which in turn become specialized version of the venture.