| Publication |
2011.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This article reconstructs Karl Deutsch's fearful yet hopeful views about the powers and
pathologies of military, and other, national and international network systems. These
views presuppose Norbert Wiener's Cybernetic Interpretive Hypothesis: that 'society
can only be understood through a study of the messages and communication facilities
which belong to it'; that the societal trend is towards more computerized communication
systems; and that they embody an 'open vs. closed' living systems ethos. Drawing on
science and technology studies by Edwards and Mirowski, the author suggests how
Deutsch's and Wiener's prophetic hopes, fears, and insights can also enrich and redefine
contemporary debates about the historical-technological development of our national
societies, the powers and pathologies of game-theoretically programmed computer
networks, the assessment of the life-preserving potential of our partly automated
security systems, the major threats from the continued poverty of the less developed
world, problems of decentralized governance, and the political, ethical, and religious
justifications for our national, international, and civilizational identities and purposes.
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