Autobiographical retrospectives: Some reminiscences of cybernetics and systems

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. Systems movement: autobiographical retrospectives is a special section of this Journal, the purpose of which is to produce, via invited autobiographical articles, historical information, and insights regarding the thought processes and individual motivations of leading figures in the systems movement. This valuable information is normally not included in regular publications, which tend to focus on results rather than the creative process leading to those results. The autobiographical articles are likely to help us to improve our understanding of how, and why, the systems movement has progressed since its emergence in the mid-20th century. Each article in this section is published strictly by invitation extended to individual authors by the Editor, and is based on the recognition that these individuals have made major contributions to the systems movement. Introduction An invitation to write an autobiography is an honour, but at the same time quite disconcerting and requiring difficult decisions about what to include and how much detail is warranted. I have included quite a lot of personal data that does not seem entirely appropriate in a scientific journal. One reason is that it is difficult to write a biography without a fair amount of such material to bind it together and another is that standpoints on scientific and technical topics do not grow from a vacuum, and background personal data may be more relevant than at first appears, especially in providing reasons for questioning the soundness of the said standpoints. Anyhow, I will start with some details about parents and early upbringing, but will keep them brief and hope they are not unduly tedious.