The Architectural Relevance of Cybernetics (Gordon Pask)

1. The author described “pure” architecture was descriptive and prescriptive but little to predict. In contrast,  “the cybernetic theory has an appreciable predictive power.” (496) Architects can model an organizing system to predict the change of the development or spatial influence. He also stated that nowadays, system oriented thinking is a demand whereas in the past, it was just a desire. By utilizing the cybernetic theory, how does this changes the role and expectation of architects?

Designing Freedom (Stafford Beer)

2. Beer stated, ” The freedom we embraced must yet be ‘in control.’ ” (88) Control means to be ultrastable or “capable of adapting smoothly to unpredicted change.” We need a cybernetic map in order to regulate our freedom. I am just wondering in what ways does cybernetics provide us more freedom or more constraints?

3. “I can tell you flatly that they do not make mistakes. People make mistakes. People who program computers make mistakes.” (27) I think it is impossible to make any computer program perfect. In my opinion, if something is perfect that means the outcome matches the expectations. Sometime there will be some unexpected results depending on the varieties of inputs. Even if those results are positive, I wouldn’t say that it is perfect because it wasn’t what I expected.