Von William Powers stammt die Vorstellung, das Verhalten die Wahrnehmung steuert (Behavior: The Control of Perceptions). H. Maturana: "Wir sehen mit den Füssen". H. von Foerster: "Willst Du wissen, musst Du handeln".
Bill Powers is: inventor, astronomer, computer systems designer, author and most important, a brilliant theorist in the advanced study of behavior, from the physics of a cell to the interactions of a community. He received a B.S. in Physics and did his graduate work in Psychology at Northwestern University, where he worked in the Department of Astronomy, and provided consulting to The Center for the Teaching Profession. His work in medical physics planted the seeds for his long-term investigation into control theory. Powers holds patents for a number of inventions, from electronic instruments to a beautifully conceived strategy game. His published articles include an important series, The Nature of Robots, which ran in BYTE from June to September, 1979: "Defining Behavior"; "Simulated Control Systems"; "A Closer Look at Human Behavior," and "Looking for Controlled Variables."
According to Paul J. Bohannan, then Stanley G. Harris Professor of Social Science, Northwestern University, Powers' first book, Behavior: The Control of Perception, (Aldine de Gruyter, 1973; Sixth Printing, 2001), offers an alternative to both behaviorism and psychoanalysis. "It provides a way, both elegant and sophisticated, to include the basic contributions of both without being partisan or converted. It allows us to bring the soma, culture, society, behavior, and experience into a single framework.Today, Bill Powers continues his leadership and active participation in the Control Systems Group (CSG), an international forum for a diverse group of academicians, clinicians and other professionals in several disciplines. Annual meetings have been held since 1985. CSG publishes books, a newsletter and Closed Loop, a quarterly compilation of discussions on what is now called Perceptual Control Theory (PCT). These lively debates on PCT take place nonstop on CSGnet, a worldwide electronic mail network for individuals interested in control theory as applied to living systems. Experimental studies, research and modeling around PCT are under development in psychology, medicine, human development, education, sociology and more. The CSG website is at http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/csg.
Powers has just completed his fifth book, scheduled for publication by Benchmark Publications, first quarter, 1998. (Review copies will be available in late November.) The book is called Making Sense of Behavior, The Meaning of Control.
Ueber W. Powers im Netz: CSG
