The effect of experience on a determinate dynamic system

Abstract

The kappa in Phi Beta Kappa stands for “kubernetes,” a Greek noun related to the English adjective “gubernatorial.” It refers to governing or executive functions. (φBK means “philosophy, the governor of life.”) The name for the new science of governing mechanisms, cybernetics, is derived from the Greek “kubernetes.” This year the first text in this field will appear, written by the author of this article, who also wrote “Design for a Brain.” Here he gives a preview of some of the ideas he develops in his new book, particularly how it happens that the state of certain systems can with the passage of time be more dependent on what their surroundings have been like than on their initial states. He relates his theoretical concepts to observations about how personality and behavior patterns develop as human beings mature.