Cybernetics Conversation 30 June – 2nd July 2025 – invitation for session leaders and booking information
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Update 12 April 2025
30 June 2025 Monday AM: (11 am) Welcome and Scene Setting (Led by Peter Kawalek)
Lunch
30 June 2025 Monday PM: (2-5) Cybernetics and Productivity; led by Charles House, Duncan Cole, Portia Ross – how can cybernetics help us comprehend and improve productivity, rooted in a discussion of the medical profession and the NHS – provocation and discussions including constraints and AI
1 July 2025 Tuesday AM: (0930) Pickerings Cybernetics; led by Prof. Andrew Pickering – what does Pickering mean by cybernetics, provocation and discussion
Tuesday PM: (1330) Cybernetics and National Resilience; led by Richard Berry – how can cybernetics contribute to our understanding of and action on the resilience of the nation
2 July 2025 Wednesday AM: (0930) Reflections – Raul Espejo (90 mins)
Session 2: (1100) The Cybernetics of Cybernetics (or “Cybernetics: Whats’ the Difference?”); led by John Beckford – if cybernetics is concerned with purposeful systems, how can cybernetics be realised in practice
We welcome additional suggestions and ideas, particularly things that might get us ‘doing’ as well as ‘talking’!
Lunches are provided and, as usual, we will suggest places to meet ‘Later in the Bar’ for food, drink and discussions.
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John Beckford has taken on the task of attempting to mastermind the event again this year.
As always the aim of The Cybernetics Conversation is to build each session around a question, proposition or challenge. The session ‘leader’, having stimulated the session with their ideas, guides elicitation of the insights, knowledge and experience of the others in the room. As usual we hope to see the development of cybernetic and systems ideas across multiple sectors – public, private, charity and social enterprises, politics and the sciences and humanities.
Prof. Andrew Pickering has agreed to attend and provide an insight to his work and interpretation of cybernetics. In addition we have some broad themes emerging from other conversations including (somewhat loosely):
“Cybernetics and……
1: Technology and Dystopia
2: Diagnosis, Prognosis and Therapy (inspired by medicine and healthcare but not constrained to it)
3: Governance, Stakeholder Interest and Evolving Organisation (what IS an organisation?)
4: Uncertainty and Decision-Making
5: The State of Democracy and the Democracy of the State
And, of course there are many sub-themes within each………..
We need you to make your offers and suggestions so that we can create a structure through which the emerging ideas can be explored and, if appropriate, synthesised – and we will use the facilities in the rooms to capture as appropriate.
Offers to lead sessions are will be greatly appreciated – particularly if accompanied by a suggested theme or thread.
Please let John Beckford and Jonathan Randall know if you would like to make a contribution.
john.beckford@beckfordconsulting.com
jonathanrandall1@yahoo.co.uk
Tickets are now on sale via the link below:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-cybernetics-conversation-2025-tickets-1255370881099?aff=oddtdtcreator
The event will run from 11.00 on Monday 30th June to 14.00 Wednesday 2nd July at Loughborough University Business School. The ticket prices include lunches and refreshments but don’t include accommodation. In previous years most people have booked their accommodation at the Premier Inn on Southfield road but there are many other hotels available in Loughborough, including the Travelodge on Bridge Street and three hotels on the university campus.
Links are below:
https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html
https://www.travelodge.co.uk/
University hotels | Accommodation | Loughborough University