Cybernetic Models and Orders

Natural, social and technical-economic systems are interspersed with cybernetic principles or features as discussed in detail in chapter “Basic concepts and language of cybernetics”. They are—in the case of natural systems per se—open systems to the environment with which the three basic flows of our life process, energy, matter and information, are exchanged. The following three cybernetic systems sections “Cybernetics of Mechanical Systems”, “Cybernetics of Natural Systems” and “Cybernetics of Natural Systems” are intended to provide a clear introduction to their organisation with associated principles, whereby the content is largely based on Probst (1987, pp. 46–52 Self-organisation. Order processes in social systems from a holistic perspective. Parey, Berlin/Hamburg) and drawing on recent additions to thematic complexes, which took place in the context of a conference “Exploring Cybernetics—Cybernetics in Interdisciplinary Discourse” in 2015 (Jeschke et al. 2015 Exploring Cybernetics. Cybernetics in interdisciplinary discourse. Springer, Wiesbaden). Finally, the concluding sections “1st order cybernetics” and “2nd order cybernetics” describe two interconnected well-known order characteristics of cybernetic systems.Due to their systemic character, the presented cybernetic models interpret three central pillars of sustainable development: ecology, social affairs and economy (technology/economy), as they were elaborated by the Brundtland Commission in 1987 and on the basis of which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development took place in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992.