BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

WHITE BOX 2)

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"A system of known components, put together in a certain fashion so as to affect a given input- output functioning" (I. BLAUBERG & al,1977, p.163).

In other words, it is any constructed algorithmic device.

Consequently, the internal mechanism of a white box is apparent and understandable. Of course, this can be so for some observers and not for others, as distinct observers may produce different descriptions of the box, all of these mere results of their peculiar position as observers (R. GLANVILLE, 1979, p.35-7)

A simplistic observer may also see a black box as white, due to some superficial or reductionist way of observing. This can be very dangerous.

A possible example of this kind of simplifications is the dubious assimilation by some behavioral psychologists of man's behavior to a set of simple input-output effects. This can moreover easily lead to psychological manipulation, of the brain washing type.

Most man-made machines are, or at least, are intended to be white boxes. However, it frequently happens that the components and the way they are put together have unknown properties, which are not perceived at the time of assembly… and turn the white box into a black box.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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