History and epistemology of early cybernetics: the case of the homeostat by Venturelli, Alfonso Nicolás

“…Specifically, the paper focuses on the epistemological and methodological assumptions and implications behind the homeostat, a famous cybernetic device presented by Ashby during the 1952 Macy conference in order to study adaptive behavior. On the one hand, the contact points between the behavioral tradition in psychology and the theoretical and programmatic statement underlying the homeostat are considered: Over and above Ashby’s strong behaviorist roots, it will be shown how the homeostat also clearly departs from behaviorism. …”
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