The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name: Seven Days with Second-Order Cybernetics

Title Page, Copyright

The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name series editors Bruce Clarke and Henry Sussman Editorial Board Victoria N. Alexander, Dactyl Foundation for the Arts and Humanities Erich Hörl, Ruhr University Bochum John H. Johnston, Emory University Hans-Georg Moeller, University College Cork John Protevi, Louisiana State University Samuel Weber, Northwestern University The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name Seven Days with Second-Order Cybernetics Heinz von Foerster edited by albert müller and karl h. müller translated by elinor rooks and michael kasenbacher Fordham University Press : New York 2014 Frontispiece: Heinz von Foerster at his home, Pescadero, California, in 1997 Copyright © 2014 Fordham University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Has No Name was published in German as Der Anfang von Himmel und Erde hat keinen Namen. Eine Selbsterschaffung in 7 Tagen, © Kulturverlag Kadmos Berlin, 2002. Fordham University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Fordham University Press also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Von Foerster, Heinz, 1911–2002, author. [Anfang von Himmel und Erde hat keinen Namen. English] The beginning of heaven and Earth has no name : seven days with second-order cybernetics / Heinz von Foerster ; edited by Albert Müller and Karl H. Müller ; translated by Elinor Rooks and Michael Kasenbacher. — First edition. pages cm. — (Meaning systems) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8232-5560-3 (hardback) — ISBN 978-0-8232-5561-0 (paper) 1. Cybernetics. 2. Knowledge, Theory of. 3. Science— Philosophy. I. Müller, Albert, 1959– editor. II. Müller, Karl H., editor. III. Title. Q310.V6613 2014 003'.5—dc23 2013030580 Printed in the United States of America 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1 First edition ...