First Order Cybernetics

First Order Cybernetics emphasized Negative Feedback

The First Order cybernetic approach emphasises the importance of negative feedback.
See the Wikipedia entry for First order cybernetics for a more detailed and thorough explanation.
A classic example of a first order system is the 'Watt Steam Governor' (see below)

Another example of first order cybernetics is a thermostatic control system.
Thermosts are designed to sense, and to maintain a pre-set temperature in a given space.
This uses the First Order cybernetic principle of negative feedback.
Negative feedback simply means that errors trigger an opposite (i.e. compensatory) response.

In this case, if the thermostatic sensor becomes hotter than its target temperature this is detected.
When this happens it applies negative feedback to switch off the heater.
Similarly, when the sensor notices that it is colder than the target temperature, it switches the heater on.

First Order Cybernetics describes aspects of defined systems, rather than the whole (i.e. the actual) situation.
Here, defined means that it uses descriptions that focus on the local state of a system.
Traditionally, this is designed to take place in isolation from its whole situation or environment.
It follows that, by defining (i.e. depicting or modelling) a system, the designer contributes to its behaviour.
Complex situations were often visualized as 'black box' systems whose internal mysteries were overlooked
A 'black box' system was portrayed as a closed system with some inputs and some outputs.
This was seen as a practical way to deal with a shortage of information.
Whilst this process was often useful at the level of engineering it overlooked the role of the observer.
Here, the observer may be designer, or user of the system - or even another, adjacent thermostatic system.
It also tended to overlook the presence of positive feedback.