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Every time has its own approach to these eternal philosophical questions, deriving from its knowledge and technology. We hold that in our time, the age of information, it is systems science and cybernetics, as the general sciences of organization and communication, that can provide the basis for contemporary philosophy. Therefore, this philosophical system is derived from, and further develops, the basic principles of cybernetics.
Moreover, we start from the thesis that systems at all levels have been constructed by evolution, which we see as a continuing process of self-organization, based on variation and natural selection of the "fittest" configuration. Evolution continuously creates complexity and makes systems more adaptive by giving them better control over their environments. We consider the emergence of a new level of control as the quantum of evolution, and call it a "metasystem transition".
As cybernetic theory informs our philosophy, so cybernetic technology lets us do things that philosophers of other times could only dream of. Using computer technology, we develop a large philosophical text from many nodes which are linked together with different relationships. Readers can navigate among the many concepts, guided by their individual understanding and interests. Disparate material can be integrated together while being written and read by collaborators from all around the world, undergoing variation and selection. Thus we apply theories about the evolution of cybernetic systems to the practical development of this very system of philosophy.
We hold that PCP is more than an interesting experiment, and that there is an acute need for an approach similar to PCP. The ongoing explosion and fragmentation of knowledge demands a renewed effort at integration. This has always been the dream of the systems theorists; all they lacked was the appropriate technology to attack the complexity of the task.
PCP draws its inspiration from many predecessors in intellectual history, including philosophers, systems scientists and cyberneticians, and others who have tried to collaboratively develop complex systems of thought.
This effort has been ongoing since 1989, and has recently entered a stage of real implementation (see our history). Of course, the task is enormous, and we are still beginning. If you are really interested in our Project, we invite you to join our efforts and become a contributor.
For further introductory reading, see the following papers and texts (available via FTP):
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