The Black Box: Vol III: 39 Steps

Citation

Hutton, D.M. (2010), "The Black Box: Vol III: 39 Steps", Kybernetes, Vol. 39 No. 6, pp. 1077-1078. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684921011046861

This is a brief review of a new book, the third in a set of three by an author who is also a leading member of this journal's Editorial Advisory Board. A full review will be included in future issues of Kybernetes.

This is a book that is compiled from the author's regular contributions that he has written and published in the journal Cybernetics and Human Knowing dating from Volume 2, 1994, to the present time, although this is the third volume of his writings and the first published.

Dr Granville in his introduction answers the question: Why publish these writings? by citing two reasons. First the responses they have generated, and second, why he wrote them. Professor Mary Catherine Bateson and Dr Joy Murrey provide the responses and he gives his reactions.

The book provides intending readers with abstracts of each of its 39 chapters so that they can select topics that are of special interest to them.

It begins however, with a contribution by Soren Brier the Editor of the journal. which originally published Professor Glanville's columns. A bibliography of some of his publications is also included. All the chapters are headed “a (cybernetic) musing” and cover such subjects as: control; communication; coding; conversation: animal and machine; to cite but a few of his muses. It includes for example chapters:

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  “Robin McKinnon Wood and Gordon Pask: a lifetime conversation” (Ch. 3).

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  “Francisco Varela (1846‐2001): a working memory” (Ch. 19).

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  “Heinz von Foerster: a personal farewell” (Ch. 21).

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  “[…] Ashby and the Black Box” (Ch. 34).

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  “[…] design, the user, and Klaus Krippendorff […]” (Ch. 35).

It concludes with a rather unusual piece by Richard Jung who addresses the author and writes “You consider yourself a prophet and would like to be recognised in high places. But you disguise yourself as a scientist or a clown […]”

An extensive bibliography is included which includes multi‐references to the “greats” of the world of cybernetics and systems. Both Mary Catherine Bateson and Joy Murrey endorse Ranulph Glanville's work and the latter writes:

[…] in his discussions of cybernetics and its many and various applications to life, be they useful, beautiful or both, he has led me to the discovery of my own theory of living and provided me with a language by which I can hold onto it.