The term itself originated in 1947 when Norbert Wiener used it to name a discipline apart from but touching upon such established disciplines as electrical engineering, mathematics, biology, neurophysiolgy, anthropology and psychology. Early applications in the control of physical systems (aiming artillery, desiring electrical circuits and maneuvering simple robots) clarified the fundamental roles of these concepts in engineering; but the relevance to social systems and the softer sciences was also clear from the start. Many researchers from the 1940s through 1960 worked solidly within the tradition of cybernetics without necessarily using the term.
Many a book has borne the title Theory of machines, but it usually contains information about mechanical things, about levers and cogs. Cybernetics, too, is a theory of machines but it treats, not things but ways of behaving. It does not ask what is this thing? But What does it do? Thus it is very interested in such a statement as this variable is undergoing a simple harmonic oscillation and is much less concerned with whether the variable is the position of point on a wheel or a potential in an electric circuit. It is thus essentially functional and behaviouristic.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR M K Singh
M.K. Singh was born at Daltonganj (Jharkhand) on 2nd August 1963. He did his graduation from Patna University and Post-graduation in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has wide and varied experience of serving in government but his keen interest and involvement in developmental issues and welfare of the common man made him relinquish his job with the government. With a burning desire to get the common people associated wit the cause of development, he initiated raising of welfare issues and mobilization of people to fight against injustices and lapses in government schemes. His focus has been on chronic problems such as Kalazar, malnutrition, drought and hunger deaths and his efforts have borne positive results with great relief to masses. Leakage in public distribution system, providing compulsory education to all, absenteeism of teachers and doctors, migration and displacement miseries, are some of the other issues which he has been canvassing against, and highlighting at various`s social and political platforms. He has been relentlessly interacting with different constitutional bodies and functionaries such as the Planning Commission, Finance Commission, Members of Parliament, the Governor and the President of India in his bid to sensitise them about major socio-economic issues of Jharkhand with specific reference to the tribal community. He has organized various seminars on issues like Tribal Rights (Forest) Bill, to promote the tribal cause. It is his constant endeavour to serve the cause of poor and weaker sections of the society in order to achieve the overall development of Jharkhand which it truly deserves.
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