For those who may not be hooked into the various cybernetic and systems societies there is much that is on this year to distract, enthuse, activise or sustain friendships:
1. First Call for Papers: UK Systems Society International Conference 2014
9-11 September 2014 - St Anne’s College, Oxford University, UK
What are knowledge societies?
Knowledge Societies are identified as societies
based on the creation, dissemination and utilization of information and
knowledge, i.e. societies with an economy in which knowledge is
acquired, created, disseminated and applied to enhance
economic and social development. People living in a knowledge society
can expect that their work, leisure, social and political lives will be
dominated by creation, acquisition and utilisation of ‘knowledge’.
However, at the heart of this concept is the idea
of ‘knowledge’ itself. Much has been written about knowledge in its
various forms – propositional knowledge (information) or tacit
‘know-how’. Great resources have been expended by businesses wishing to
know how to manage their knowledge, since it has been
acknowledged that the only sustainable source of competitive advantage
that an organisation has is the know-how of the people it employs. Yet
knowledge remains problematic. It is contained within people and created
by them through interactions in groups, using
physical and financial resources. People may or may not know that they
have it. Efforts to make human knowledge explicit, and capture it for
the benefit of others may be more or less successful. It is perhaps
more accurate to refer to human knowing, since
it is dynamic rather than static.
Challenges of knowledge societies
With increased focus on the economic and social
aspect of knowledge, its potential as a force of social cohesion and
increased welfare, or conversely as a source of increased division and
exclusion requires our urgent attention as citizens.
UNESCO, in a 2005 World Report on Knowledge Society, has expressed
concern over the potential disassociation of society as those on the
wrong side of the digital divide become increasingly isolated. Further
concern is expressed over excessive commoditization
of knowledge, so that ownership of previously social assets become
concentrated in the hands of the powerful.
The UNESCO World Report establishes four principles that are essential for development of an equitable knowledge society:
- Cultural diversity;
- Equal access to education;
- Universal access to information (in the public domain);
- Freedom of expression.
The role of technology
“Knowledge has been at the heart of economic
growth and development for some time. Despite the shift in recent years
from the Information Society to an emerging global knowledge society,
where emphasis is more on people’s utilisation
of knowledge rather than technology, it still remains a fact that
information technology remains a central element of the knowledge
society, combined with continuous learning particularly in Science &
Technology and innovation … The ability to generate new
knowledge and new ideas that are then embodied in products and
organisations has always served to fuel development … The foremost use
of knowledge should be to empower and develop all sectors of society to
understand and use knowledge to increase the quality
of people’s lives and promote social development. A socially inclusive
knowledge society empowers all members of the society to create,
receive, share and use information and knowledge for their economic,
social, cultural and political development. In recent
times, disparities in the productivity and growth of different
countries have far less to do with the abundance or lack of natural
resources than with the capacity to improve the quality of human capital
and factors of production i.e. to create new knowledge
and ideas and incorporate them into equipment and people’s skills.”
(Extract from a
GESCI report, funded by the UN ICT Task Force, 2010)
Systems and the knowledge society – Call for Contributions
What is clear from this discourse is that
knowledge society is characterised by its complexity. Not only is
knowledge an ephemeral phenomenon, resistant to attempts to harness and
control it, but it is a controversial asset that gives
access to economic and political power. One thing that is clear is that
the four principles set out by UNESCO cannot be achieved through linear
thinking.
We invite contributions from systems thinkers in
the form of papers, models, reports from practice, posters or workshop
proposals that relate to the conference theme in its broadest sense. The
Conference programme will include a day devoted
to practitioner contributions, and a workshop on writing for
publication as well as plenary presentations and speakers (to be
confirmed).
Papers should be clearly marked ‘conference
submission’, and submitted by 31 May 2014, via the on-line submission
system of
IGI Global. For other types of contribution, please email an abstract to the conference organisers at: Conference2014@ukss.org.uk
Learning Across Boundaries: Exploring the Variety of Systemic Theory and Practice
The 58th Meeting of the International Society for the Systems
Sciences will be held at George Washington University, Washington DC,
July 27 through August 1, 2014. The conference will be held at the
downtown campus in the Georgetown area of Washington DC at Funger Hall,
GWU School of Business.
Further details are located on the
ISSS2014 Conference pages.
This year, the ASC meeting
"Living in Cybernetics"
will also be held at GWU in the week following the ISSS (3-9th August).
There will be a discount for those attending both conferences, please
see each conference's registration pages. The discount will be halved
from the registration cost of each conference.
Additional details will be added as available, please email the ISSS
office with any queries in the meantime at isssoffice@dsl.pipex.com
3. 50th Anniversary conference of the American Society for Cybernetics
2014 marks the 50th anniversary of the American Society for
Cybernetics, which was incorporated in Washington DC on the 6th of
August 1964.
Our conference this year will be our major celebration. The theme is “Living in Cybernetics”. The main event (4 to 8 August inclusive) will celebrate ASC cybernetics in the present through paper presentations themed using Stuart Umpleby’s “Several Traditions of cybernetics” (4 and 5 August), ASC cybernetics in the past through addresses from many past presidents and other long term members (August 6) developing our timeline, and ASC cybernetics in the future
through workshops developing views of how cybernetics and education may
come together to hep make a better world (August 7 and 8).
In addition, as has been our recent practice, we will hold a pre-conference meeting on 3 August; and a post-conference meeting (9 August). Conferees may attend these events without charge.
4. EMCSR 2014
“Dear Colleagues,
At
EMCSR, scientists, organizations, researchers and practitioners share
their experiences working with systems theory and practice.
This
year's meeting is a co-production of the most distinguished systems
organizations and communities in the world and in addition will connect
members
of the International Federation for Systems Research and EMCSR with the
intent to create a hub that showcases the advance of systems approaches
to contribute to solutions of today’s complex problems.
The EMCSR 2014: “Civilisation at the Crossroads: Response and Responsibility of the Systems Sciences”
will
be guided by three story lines, each comprised by the perspectives of
concepts, applications and bridges between academia and practice:
I. Sustainability and Development
II. Emergence and Design
III. Complexity and Strategy
There are specific topics under each theme.
(Read
more)
The EMCSR 2014 PhD Colloquium & Award
is
a special topic of the EMCSR 2014 with paper presentations from
scientists in pre-doctoral or early post-doctoral phases of work.
One of the highlights of the EMCSR Colloquium & Award is the special “Ludwig von Bertalanffy Young Scientist Award”, which consists of a diploma and a monetary prize.
(Read
more)
Please find the information pertaining to this event at the following URL
http://emcsr.net/
and share it with all friends and colleagues you know whom you think
might be interested in this event, and distribute it to other academic
institutions and organizations far and wide.
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