In honor of the 100th birthday of the late Stafford Beer, INDEP is collaborating with Metaphorum to present a series of speakers for online events about Beer’s work, cybernetics, systems theory and their lasting relevance for questions regarding postcapitalism and democratic economic planing (DEP). Metaphorum is an organization which promotes and undertakes original research on organisational cybernetics to continue developing Stafford Beer’s legacy. The work of Stafford Beer and the literature of cybernetics contain not only many historical lessons for those involved in DEP, but also offers a diverse and vibrant range of modern research. This talk series aims to bring these lessons from the past and present to the attention of those in the DEP discourse. Cybernetics and Stafford Beer are not only of unique relevance in our time, but are important for those who wish to build a future in which the economy is not only democratic, but cooperatively and communally determined.
The following talks are going to be part of this series:
Kyle Thompson and James Macumber – Lessons of Cybernetics for Democratic Economic Planning
February 24, 6pm UTC
Angela Espinosa – The Viable System Model as an Emancipatory Approach to Sustainable Self-Governance: Examples from Applications in Communities and Nations
March 5, 6pm UTC
Jon Walker – Viable Systems, Authoritarian Control, Neo-liberal Economics and the Future of our Socio-Economic Approach to Governance
April 2, 6pm UTC
… and more to announce throughout the year.