cybernetics

This chapter explores the emergence of modern mental health science between 1945 and 1950, focusing on the intersection of cybernetics, atomic age anxieties, and the rise of Dianetics. It highlights John W. Campbell's involvement with early atomic science, his engagement with emerging psychological theories, and his complex relationship with L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics, including personal and professional tensions. The chapter also discusses the cultural and scientific milieu that shaped mental health discourse, including critiques and endorsements of new mental therapies and the influence of cybernetics on understanding the mind.

The preamble of Norbert Wiener's The Human Use of Human Beings introduces cybernetics as a foundational science of control and communication bridging engineering, biology, and statistical mechanics. Wiener critiques the notion of 'harmless' pure mathematics, emphasizing the social responsibility of scientists and the ethical implications of technology, especially in the context of war and communication revolutions. The introduction by Steve J. Heims situates Wiener as both a pioneering mathematician and a socially conscious thinker who foresaw the profound societal impacts of technological advances and advocated for the humane use of technology amid the threats of disorganization and entropy.

This chapter explores the historical and social genealogy of artificial neural networks, emphasizing their origin not as mere biomorphic imitations of the brain but as self-organizing information systems inspired by communication technologies like telegraphs and electrical circuits. It situates the development of AI within the broader intellectual and technological context of cybernetics, highlighting the shift from symbolic AI to machine learning as a technique of spontaneous order and adaptation. The chapter also traces the concept of self-organization across disciplines and its transformation from social philosophy to a principle underpinning cybernetic machines and biological systems.