Cybernetics for the 21st Century

* Book: Cybernetics for the 21st Century: Vol. 1 – Epistemological Reconstruction (2024)

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Description

"An edited collection by philosopher Yuk Hui that revisits cybernetics through a global and philosophical lens. The book gathers essays from thinkers such as Katherine Hayles, Andrew Pickering, Dorion Sagan, and others, tracing how cybernetic ideas evolved across different regions — from Europe and the U.S. to China, Japan, and Latin America.

Rather than treating cybernetics as a technical history, it reframes it as a living field for the 21st century — where systems theory, ecology, and digital networks intersect with politics and philosophy. The volume’s subtitle, Epistemological Reconstruction, signals its intent to rebuild the conceptual foundations of knowledge, control, and communication in an age shaped by AI, feedback systems, and planetary technology.

It’s the first in a multi-volume series arising from Hui’s Cybernetics for the 21st Century research project (2022–present), connecting media theory, philosophy, and global technological history to ask: How can cybernetics help us think about autonomy, ecology, and digital civilization today?"