Dmitry A Novikov - Collected Quotes

"A law is a permanent cause-and-effect relation of phenomena or processes. A law is a necessary, essential, stable and repetitive relation among phenomena." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"A theory is an organizational form of scientific knowledge about a certain set of objects, representing a system of interconnected assertions and proofs and containing methods of explanation and prediction of phenomena and processes in a given problem domain, i.e., of all phenomena and processes described by this theory." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"Cybernetics is an interdisciplinary science. It originated ‘at the junction’ of mathematics, logic, semiotics, physiology, biology and sociology. Among its inherent features, we mention analysis and revelation of general principles and approaches in scientific cognition. Control theory, communication theory, operations research and others represent most weighty theories within cybernetics 1.0." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics 2.0", 2016)

"Cybernetics studies the concepts of control and communication in living organisms, machines and organizations including self-organization. It focuses on how a (digital, mechanical or biological) system processes information, responds to it and changes or being changed for better functioning (including control and communication)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of reactions - responding to an external influence, a system reinforces processes to compensate it (the Le Chatelier–Brown principle imported from physics and chemistry)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of system cohesion - a system’s form is maintained by a balance, static or dynamic, between cohesive and dispersive influences. The form of an interacting set of systems is similarly maintained." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of adaptation - for continued system cohesion, the mean rate of system adaptation must equal or exceed the mean rate of changes of environment (the response times obey the reverse rule)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of connected variety - interacting systems stability increases with variety, and with the degree of connectivity of that variety within the environment." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of limited variety - variety in interacting systems is limited by the available space and the minimum degree of differentiation." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of preferred pattern - the probability that interacting systems will adopt locally-stable configurations increases both with the variety of systems and with their connectivity." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

"The principle of cyclic progression - interconnected systems driven by an external energy source will tend to a cyclic progression in which system variety is generated, dominance emerges to suppress the variety, the dominant mode decays or collapses, and survivors emerge to regenerative variety." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of hierarchy:] "Generally, a control system has a hierarchical structure. It must agree with the functional structure of a controlled system and not contradict the hierarchy of (horizontally or vertically) adjacent systems. Tasks and resources supporting the activity of a controlled system must be decomposed according to its structure." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of unification:] "Controlled systems and control systems of all levels must be described and studied using common principles (this applies both to the parameters of their models and the efficiency criteria of their functioning). However, such principles must not eliminate the necessity of considering the specifics of a concrete system. Most real control situations can be reduced to a set of the so-called typical situations, where the corresponding typical decisions appear optimal. On the other part, control inevitably causes specialization (restriction of variety) of control subjects and controlled subjects." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of purposefulness:] "Any impact of a control system on a controlled system must be purposeful." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of openness:] "Operation of a control system must be open to information, innovations, etc." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of efficiency:] "A control system must implement the most efficient control actions from the set of feasible control actions (also see the principle of extremization)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of responsibility:] "A control system appears responsible for decisions made and the efficiency of controlled system operation." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of non-interference:] "Any-level Principal interferes in a process iff its direct subordinates are unable to implement a complex of necessary functions (at present and/or based on a forecast)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of social and state control, participation:] "Control of a social system must aim at the maximal involvement of all interested subjects (society, bodies of state power, individual and artificial persons) in the development of a controlled system and its operation."(Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of development:] "A control action lies in modifying a control system proper (being induced from within, it can be treated as self-development). The matter also concerns the development of a controlled system."(Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of completeness and prediction): "Under a given range of external conditions, the set of control actions must ensure posed goals (the completeness requirement) in an optimal and/or feasible way. This must be done taking into account a possible response of a controlled system to certain control actions in predicted external conditions." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of regulation and resource provision:] "Control activity must be regulated (standardized) and correspond to constraints set by a metasystem (a system possessing a higher hierarchical level). Any management decision or control action must be feasible (also, in the sense of provision with necessary resources)."(Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of feedback:] "Efficient control generally requires information on the state of a controlled system and on the conditions of its functioning. Moreover, implementation of a control action and corresponding consequences must be monitored by a control subject." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of adequacy:] "A control system (its structure, complexity, functions) must be adequate to a controlled system (to its structure, complexity, functions, respectively). Problems to-be-solved by a controlled system must be adequate to its capabilities." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of well-timed control:] "This principle states that, in real-time control, information required for decision-making must be supplied at the right time. Moreover, management decisions (control actions) must be made and implemented (chosen and generated, respectively) quickly enough according to any changes in a controlled system and external conditions of its functioning. In other words, the characteristic time of management decisions or control actions must not exceed the characteristic time of changes in a controlled system (i.e., a control system must be adequate to controlled processes in the sense of their rate of change)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[principle of predictive reflection:] "A complex adaptive system predicts feasible changes in essential external parameters. Consequently, when generating control actions, one should predict and anticipate such changes." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of adaptivity:] "The principle of predictive reflection underlines the necessity of predicting the states of a controlled system and corresponding actions of a Principal. In contrast, the principle of adaptivity states that (1) one must consider all available information on the history of controlled system functioning and (2) once made decisions or chosen control actions (and the corresponding principles of decision-making) must be regularly revised (see the principle of well-timed control) following any changes in the states of a controlled system and in the conditions of its functioning." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of rational decentralization:] "This principle claims that, in any complex multi-level system, there exists a rational decentralization level for control, authorities, responsibility, awareness, resources, etc. Rational decentralization implies adequate decomposition and aggregation of goals, problems, functions, resources, and so on." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of democratic control aka anonymity:] "This principle requires equal conditions and opportunities for all participants of a controlled system (without a priori discrimination in informational, material, financial, educational and other resources)." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of coordination:] "This principle declares that, under existing institutional constraints, control actions must be maximally coordinated with the interests and preferences of controlled subjects." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)

[the principle of ethics, the principle of humanism] "implies that, in management and control, consideration of existing ethical norms (in a society or an organization) has a higher priority over other criteria." (Dmitry A Novikov, "Cybernetics: From Past to Future", 2016)