Attenuation of Variety
The strategy of reducing the number of challenges or complexities coming from the system being controlled (making the system simpler).
Amplification of Variety
The strategy of increasing the number of responses or capabilities available to the control system (making the manager more complex).
Anti-Entropic Effort
The active process by which a system, especially a living one, takes in energy and information to organize itself and resist its own natural decay…
Entropy
The universal tendency for all physical systems to move toward disorder, randomness, and breakdown. It is a measure of the disorder within a system.See More…
Law of Requisite Variety
Ashby's fundamental theorem stating that for a controller to manage a system effectively, it must have at least as much variety (complexity, number of responses)…
Ultrastability
The ability of a system to maintain its desired state or survive a severe shock by radically changing its own internal structure and connections.
Homeostasis
The self-regulating process by which a complex system maintains stability while adjusting to constantly changing external conditions.
Double Bind
A paradoxical communication pattern where a person is trapped between two conflicting demands from a powerful figure and cannot comment on the conflict or escape…
Schismogenesis
An anthropological concept for a self-intensifying process (a positive feedback loop) in which the actions of one group cause the continued, escalating opposition of another…
Feedback Loop
The mechanism by which a system monitors its output and adjusts its input to achieve a goal. It is the central concept of Cybernetics.