Norbert Wiener's Cybernetics in The Human Use of Human Beings 
Michael Hauben TU6910, Independent Study 
Theories of Communication 
Spring 1998

Norbert Wiener wrote several books about the science of cybernetics, which he introduced. Central to the science, whether discussing people or machines, is the passing of messages between two entities. As such cybernetics is a theory of communication defining the passing of information between communicators. Wiener was visionary in understanding the importance of applying this engineering theory of messages to society as a whole, the broad field of humanities, and working towards understanding its value to all domains of human knowledge.

His second book about cybernetics first written in 1950, The Human use of Human Beings: Cybernetics and Society (Avon Books, New York, 1954) consists of Wiener's understanding that society must be studied and understood by looking at the messages exchanged and the modes of communication available to those who comprise society. (p. 25) Wiener's definition of society included man and machine and thus it is important to study the development of the passing of messages or communication between man and man, man and machine and all possible combinations thereof. Wiener also relates the theory of control, whether of man or machine, as a part of the theory of messages. Control comes down to be a particular communication mode, and is particularly important in understanding the man/machine dynamic or interaction. In order to affect control, it is necessary to receive a response that the command has been acknowledged and acted on. Communication is also necessary for the intended action to be achieved.

In understanding cybernetics, Wiener devotes time to describing entropy in nature as theorized by physicist Willard Gibbs. Cybernetics develops as part of the struggle against the constant motion towards degeneration or disorder in nature. As such communication is an effort by individuals to find and make order in a disorderly world. Communication of information helps to bring people together as part of a shared world or society. "To live effectively," Wiener writes, "is to live with adequate information." He continues, "Thus, communication and control belong to the essence of man's inner life, even as they belong to his life in society." (The Human Use of Human Beings, p. 27)

Much of The Human Use of Human Beings consists of examples of communication theory applied to human existence, biology and thought, along with application to automata, machinery and animal life as well. Examples of exchange of messages in machinery include the automatic photoelectric door openers, where a sensor is activated when a light beam is interrupted by someone passing through its path thus blocking the beam. The door is then opened for a period of time after the light beam is blocked. Another useful application of communication to control of machinery comes in the example of controlling anti-aircraft guns. In order to function, the artillery device must work in conjunction with both radar which senses the aircraft and its trajectory and some computing machinery which factors in weather conditions, and possible changes in flight path. Such feedback mechanisms are important to the working of such an operation and one which tracks prior firings to see what other changes need to be done to make corrections to calculations because of tracking errors from past shots.

Wiener's most direct commentary on higher level communication comes in chapter four of The Human Use of Human Beings discussing the mechanism and history of language. He begins by describing language as another name for communication as well as how we name the codes with which communication occurs. Both humans and animals communicate using their own language, but Wiener defines the complexity of human communication and its greater ambiguity over that of other animals. Wiener also makes a point of saying people communicate with machines in the form of language. Language is just a common shared code that is used in the exchange of information. As such, Wiener defines a machine's reporting of system status in a form that people can understand as language. Usually this requires some translation from the electrical outputs of sensors to a form understood by people. Unfortunately information can be lost in the translation, but that is where feedback plays a role again in further checking of data against real results and changes over the course of time. Wiener even goes as far to describe how the human communication system works as a kind of machine - the ear, the part of the brain which is in connection with the ear, and how this deals with the phonetic aspect of language.

While dwelling on the scientific analysis of language, Wiener also differentiates between man and animal and examining how only man has speech beyond guttural utterances. He continues to examine the scientific basis of language by examining questions such as how language could be a genetically natural aspect of human development versus a socially learned behavior. The history of language is examined from ancient beginnings such as Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Chinese to the development of English, and so on. Wiener continues by exploring how the size of communities have been defined by the ability for communication to occur. The advancement of transportation methods and technologies further expanded by the growth of communication methods and technologies make larger effective communities possible. This was seen in the emergence of communities ruled centrally as in empires and future growth as is yet to be seen. To end the discussion of language, some review of entropy and possible loses or control of meaning is explored. Wiener highlights two varieties of language, one where information is desired to be shared and another where the desire is to force a particular understanding.

In addition to obvious speaking and writing, human communication and feedback occurs at a lower level in the functioning of the human body. Moving arms and legs use muscles to walk or to pick things up by working unconsciously with the body using the sense organs of sight, touch, smell and hearing as feedback to correct actions. The importance of feedback is that it works on actual performance and not just on intended performance. If everything worked perfectly the first time there would not be the need for sensory correction.

Wiener is critical of the overlooking of the role of communications by sociologists and engineers alike at the time of his writing. Cybernetics did much to introduce communication as an important field of study which affected many other disciplines. And while cybernetics might not readily be on the tongue of today's academic community, it did have the profound effect of beginning the study of communication and raising communication issues as important to society. The prevalence of the prefix cyber used when discussing new technologies is a tribute to Norbert Wiener's pioneering work on cybernetics.