Future Histories International: Jan Overwijk on Cybernetic Capitalism and Critical Systems Theory
*- A
- podcast
- Part of
- Future Histories
- Featuring
- Jan Overwijk / Jan Groos
Quite a mind expanding listen. On Overwijk's notion of Critical systems theory. Combining systems theory and critical theory certainly sounds interesting.
And, the thing he is using critical systems theory to analyse is: cybernetic capitalism. Which, my very rudimentary understanding thus far, is the idea that capitalism is no longer trying to control everything, i.e. 'closed', but now leaves some things 'open', some freedom within overall control, and this is a source of its resilience.
Found quite hard to grasp at first, but sinking in by the time got to end. It seems like a dense theory but once start getting used to new terminology then it makes some sense.
Useful tracing systems theory line through Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela to Niklas Luhmann.
Then I believe the idea is to address the absence of politics in Luhmann's systems theory. Finds Luhmann ideas very useful but not sufficient.
Closed and open sounds like it could have interesting parallel to horizontal and vertical in organisational ecology.
It's doesn't go into details on actually changing the world. A case of better understanding the enemy in order to then figure out how to overthrow it. He says he has focused on description rather than alternative. Jan Groos points to some possible leftist similarities.
Provoking and 'irritating' in order to bring about change sounds like leverage points and shock doctrines.
'Alternative meta politics' and needing to change what we measure sounds similar to Multi-criterial economy.
Misc things mentioned:
1. Elsewhere
1.1. In my garden
Notes that link to this note (AKA backlinks).