ASC Events > Past Events

1. ASC Series: since 2021
2. Conferences and other events in the 2020s
3. Conferences in the 2010s
4. Conferences in the 2000s
5. Conferences in the 1990s
6. Conferences in the 1980s
7. Conferences in the 1970s
8. Conferences in the 1960s (some pre-ASC)
9. Conferences in the 1950s (pre-ASC)
10. Conferences in the 1940s (pre-ASC)

ASC Series: Cybernetics and humans’ knowing: since 2021

Virtual conversations on cybernetic topics from a diverse group of theorists and practitioners.

Formats alternates between interviews, presentations, conversations, and more.

2023

What we usually don’t understand about language, and why this matters ^{[Presentation]}
December 17, 2023

Feedback Loop(s) of Transdisciplinary Practice ^{[Presentation]}
October 29, 2023

NewMacy: Finding New Trails in Pursuit of Resilience ^{[Presentation]}
September 17, 2023

Sustainable Self-governance in business and societies – VSM in Action ^{[Presentation]}
May 21, 2023

Enacting Cybernetics ^{[Presentation]}
April, 30, 2023

Language, Evolutionary Leadership and Conscious Evolution ^{[Presentation]} (no recording)
February 19, 2023

Frictions, Fictions ^{[Presentation]}
January 22, 2023

2022

One Possible Model for Designing social Transformation ^{[Presentation]}
December 18, 2022

In search of an erotic framework for Cybernetics ^{[Presentation]}
November 20, 2022

Beyond the Distinction Between 1st Order and 2nd Order Cybernetics ^[Discussion]
October 23, 2022

Becoming #NewMacy ^{[Interactive]}
September 18, 2022

To Know the World: The Future of Environmental Learning ^{[Presentation]}
June 19, 2022

Seventy years of Family Therapy ^[Interview]
March 20, 2022

Thinking Transversally: create coherence, or “wholeness” ^{[Interactive]}
February 20, 2022

Cybernetics and the Gaia Hypothesis: A conversation with Bruce Clarke ^{[Interactive]}
January 16, 2022

2021

Annetta Pedretti: Weaving Language, Reflections, Memories and Stories ^{[Interactive]}
December 19, 2021

Against the Zoom Fatigue: A Cybernetic Picnic ^{[Interactive]}
November 21, 2021

New books in Cybernetics Spotlight #1 ^[Interview]
October 17, 2021

Urgent Questions in response to “Today’s AI” — NewMacy Meeting #2 ^{[Interactive]}
September 19, 2021

Conversation on Future Events ^{[Open discussion]}
July 18, 2021

Partial Memories about Mary Catherine Bateson – Nora & Sevanne ^[Interview]
June 20, 2021

Clough and Clarke on Varela ^{[Interview + Open discussion]}
May 16, 2021

A Causal Ontology of Nature by Angus Jenkinson ^{[Presentation]}
April 18, 2021

Leonard and Richards on Stafford Beer ^[Interview]
March 21, 2021

Towards a Critical Cybernetics by Klaus Krippendorff ^{[Presentation]}
February 28, 2021

A conversation hosted by Jude Lombardi with Patricia Ticinetto Clough and Paul Pangaro ^[Interview]
January 17, 2021

Past ASC Conferences and Events in 2020s

Historically, the field of cybernetics has relied on conferences and similar events as the context for bringing together people from diverse disciplines who have similar interests. Cybernetics itself coalesced as a discipline during the 1940s in a series of meetings called the Macy Conferences. Continuing this tradition, the American Society for Cybernetics has long emphasized the role of regular gatherings in fostering understanding and the exchange of ideas. Find out more about the upcoming events.

ISSS 2023 — 17-23 June 2023, Kruger National Park, South Africa

RSD11 Symposium, University of Brighton, UK — 13-16 October 2022

WOSC 2021 — September 27-29, 2021, Moscow. The ASC will participate in WOSC in Moscow to 2021. One theme will be “Philosophical and methodological foundations for the development of the systems approach and cybernetics” and another will be “Systems science, cybernetics and art.” Themes and details.

ISSS2021 – The Art and Science of the Impossible: The Human Experience — July 8-13, 2021 — Online Conference, 65th Meeting of the International Society for the Systems.

ASC 2020 Global Conversation — September 12-13 2020, online, a series of live online conversations, held in coordination with the British Cybernetics Society’s virtual event “Cybernetics and the 21st Century: Stories of Practice.”

ASC Conferences in the 2010s

The 2019 ASC Conference titled “Acting Cybernetically” — June 23rd to 27th 2019 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

The 2018 ASC Conference titled “Framing Reality and How It Matters in a Shared World” — August 15th to 19th 2018 at the University Center in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The 2017 ASC Conference titled “Resilience and Ethics: Implications” — August 5th to 12th 2017 at the Salem Waterfront Hotel‎ in Salem, Massachusetts, USA.

The 2016 ASC Conference titled “Action and Reflection – The Individual and the Collective” — June 1st to June 5th 2016 at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, USA.

The ASC was a co-sponsor of, and a contributor to the 2015 ISSS Conference — August 3rd to 7th in Berlin, Germany, with an ASC day on Wednesday, August 5th.

The ASC’s 50th Anniversary Conference 2014 titled “Living in Cybernetics” — August 3rd to 9th 2014 (with surrounding events) at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

The ASC was a co-sponsor of, and a contributor to the IEEE 2014 Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century from June 24th to 26th 2014 in Boston MA.

The 2013 ASC Conference titled “Acting – Learning – Understanding” — July 28th to August 3rd 2013 (with surrounding events) at the University of Bolton, UK.

The 2012 ASC Conference “An Ecology of Ideas” — held jointly with the Bateson Idea Group (BIG) from July 9th to 13th (with surrounding events) in Asilomar, CA.

The 2011 ASC Conference on “Listening” — August 9th to 15th 2011 (with surrounding events) in Richmond, IN.

In 2011 the ASC organized the Cybernetics of Cybernetics competition.

The C:ADM2010 ASC Conference titled “Cybernetics: Art – Design – Mathematics” —  July 30th to August 2nd 2010 (with surrounding events), at EMPAC: The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY.

ASC Conferences in the 2000s

• ASC 2009 Conference titled “Cybernetics Talk Dance Anticommunication”, held in Olympia, Washington from March 12 to 15, 2009
• ASC 2008 Conference celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the BCL, held in Urbana Illinois from May 11th to 15th, 2008
• ASC 2007 Conference titled “Constructivism, Design, Cybernetics:
  Radical, Social, 2nd-order”, held in Urbana Illinois from March 29th to April 1st, 2007
• ASC 2006 Conference in conjunction with the 50th annual ISSS meeting, held at Sonoma State University, California, from July 9th to 14th, 2006
• ASC 2005 Conference titled “The Many Interpretations and Applications
  of Cybernetics”, held at at the George Washington University, Washington DC, from October 27th to 30th, 2005
• ASC 2004 Conference titled “Well-Being of Systems”, held at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada, from August 4th to 8th, 2004
• ASC 2003 Conference on “Organizing Organizations: Variations on Three Imperatives by Heinz von Foerster” and “Knowledge – Organization – Society: Heinz von Foerster and the Biological Computer Laboratory”, held at the University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria, from November 10th to 15th, 2003
• ASC 2002 Conference on “Organizing Organizations: Variations on Three Imperatives by Heinz von Foerster” and “Ecological Understanding II: Design and Conversation”, held at the University of California Santa Cruz, from June 13th to 16th, 2002
• ASC 2001 Conference titled “The Praxis of Cybernetics and the Cybernetics of Praxis”, held at the University of British Columbia Conference Center in Vancouver, Canada, from May 27th to 29th, 2001 (chair Pille Bunnell, grants and promotion Kathleen Forsythe, treasurer Diane Levings, Registrar Felisa Fullerton, media relations Colin Wright, site logistics Jean Paul Froidevaux, event logistics Teresita Tubianosa, co-sponsor representative Fleurette Sweeney)
• ASC 2001 public forum on “Remaining Human”, held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, from May 26th to 28th, 2001 (co-sponsors American Society for Cybernetics, the Center for the Study of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of British Columbia, the Sweeney Family Foundation, and Common Ground Magazine)
• ASC 2001 workshop titled “Treasures of Second-Order Cybernetics”, held at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Canada, from May 23th to 25th, 2001 (coordinator Scott Carley)
• 2000 World Congress of Systems Sciences, held at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Canada, from July 13th to 16th, 2000. This congress was co-hosted by over 20 organizations including the ASC. There were plenary sessions each morning, followed by afternoon panel discussions and evening events. The ASC contributed a Plenary talk “Conservation and Change” by Humberto Maturana, a Panel on “Conservation and Change, a Circularity in Ethics and Environment.”
• ASC workshop “Conversational Conference on Cybernetics, a Circularity in Praxis and Ethics”, held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, from July 15th, 2000 (co-chairs Pille Bunnell and Kathleen Forsythe)

ASC Conferences in the 1990s

• 1999 ASC 1999 International Syntegration Workshop and 32nd Annual Conference, from 29th March to 1st April 1999, Falls Church, Virginia (chair Ern Reynolds, syntegration coordinator Allena Leonard)
• 1998 ASC Conference on “Design, Planning, and Human Understanding”, from April 2nd to 5th 1998, University of California, Santa Cruz (chair Frank Galuzska)
• 1997 ASC Conference on “Continuing the Conversation”, from March 8th to 12th 1997, Urbana, IL (co-chairs Judy Lombardi, Mark Enslin, Arun Chandra, Herbert Brün, Stuart Umpleby)
• 1995 ASC conference on “Circularity”, from May 17th to 21, Chicago, IL (co-chairs Steve Sloan and Lou Kauffman)
• 1993 ASC conference on “Cybernetics in the Art of Learning”, from November 3rd to 7th 1995, Philadelphia, PA (chair Frank Galuszka)
• 1993 ASC Mini-conference on “The Teaching of the Teaching of Cybernetics”, from January 28th to 31st 1993, Norfolk, VA (chair Larry Richards)
• 1992 ASC conference on “Language, Emotion, the Social and the Ethical”, from October 28th to November 1st 1992, Seabeck, WA (chair Rod Donaldson)
• 1991 ASC conference on “Cybernetics: its Evolution and its Praxis”, from July 17th to 21st 1991, Amherst, MA (chair Sandy Blount)
• 1990 ASC conference on “Art, Cybernetics: Society”, from October 18th to 22nd 1990, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (co-chairs Carole Ip, and Gary Boyd)
• 1990 ASC conference on “Ecological Understanding”, from August 8th to 12th 1990, Oslo, Norway (chair Per Helmersen)

ASC Conferences in the 1980s

• 1989 ASC conference on “Connections”, from November 9th to 12th 1989, Virginia Beach, VA (co-chairs Chris Berendes and Fred Steier)
• 1988 ASC conference on “Texts in Cybernetic Theory”, from October 18the to 23rd 1988, Felton, CA (chair Rod Donaldson)
• 1988 ASC conference on “Intelligent Networks… and Beyond”, from June 15th to 20th 1988, Victoria, BC (chair Larry Richards)
• 1987 ASC conference on “Creative Cybernetics”, from December 2nd to 5th 1987, Urbana, IL (chair Mark Enslin)
• 1987 ASC conference on “Development of Social Systems”, from March 15th to 19th 1987, St. Gallen, Switzerland (chair Gilbert Probst)
• 1986 Gordon Research Conference on “Cybernetics”, from June 9th to 13th 1986, Wolfeboro, NH (co-chairs Heinz von Foerster and Ernst von Glasersfeld)
• 1986 ASC conference on “Conversations in Cybernetics”, from February 19th to 23rd 1986, Virginia Beach, VA (chair Larry Richards)
• 1984 ASC conference on “Autonomy, Dependence, Intervention”, from November 1st to 4th 1984, Philadelphia, PA (chair Fred Steier)
• 1984 Gordon Research Conference on “Cybernetics”, from August 27th to 31st 1984, New Hampton, NH (co-chairs Leo Steg and Heinz von Foerster, coordinator Stuart Umpleby)
• 1984 ASC conference, Vancouver, BC (chair Kathleen Forsythe)
• 1983 ASC conference, from October 6th to 10th 1983, San Jose, CA (chair Bill Reckmeyer)
• 1982 ASC conference on “Cybernetics and Education”, from October 18th to 20th 1982, Columbus, OH (chair John Hayman, local arrangements Jon Cunnyngham)
• 1982 ASC planning conference, from March 26th to 27th, George Washington University, Washington, DC
• 1981 ASC conference on “The New Cybernetics”, from October 29th to November 1st 1981, George Washington University, Washington, DC (chair Larry Richards, local arrangements Stuart Umpleby)
• 1980 ASC planning conference, from April 18th to 20th 1980, George Washington University, Washington, DC
• 1980 Fifth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, Austria

ASC Conferences in the 1970s

• 1978 Fourth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, Austria
• NATO’s Third Advanced Study Institute on Information Science, Maleme, Chania, Crete
• 1978 IEEE International Conference on “Cybernetics and Society”, Tokyo, Japan
• 1977 NATO’s First International Conference on “Applied General Systems Theory”, Binghamton, NY (chair George Klir)
• 1976 Third European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, Austria
• 1975 Third International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems, Bucharest, Romania
• 1974 ASC conference on “Communication and Control in Society”, Philadelphia, PA (chair Klaus Krippendorff)
• 1974 IEEE conference on “General Systems, Environment and Man”, Dallas,TX (a joint meeting with SGSR)
• 1974 Second European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, Austria
• 1973 Conference on “Fragmented Society and the Physically Disabled”, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC (associated with ASC)
• 1972 ASC and AAAS Meeting
• 1972 ASC and IEEE International Conference on “Cybernetics and Society”, Washington, DC
• 1972 Second International Congress of Cybernetics and Systems
• 1972 ASC Conference on “Biocybernetics and Complex Systems: Cybernetics and International Relations”, Washington, DC
• 1972 First European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research, Vienna, Austria
• 1971 ASC Conference on “Cybernetic Techniques in Brain Research and the Eductional Process”, Washington, DC
• 1970 ASC Conference on “Cybernetics, Artificial Intelligence and Ecology”, Washington, DC (proceedings edited by Robinson & Knight, 1972)

Conferences in the 1960s (some pre-ASC)

• 1969 Third Annual Symposium of the ASC on “Cybernetics, Simulation and Conflict Resolution” (proceedings edited by Knight, Curtis and Fogel, 1971)
• 1968 Second Annual Cybernetics Symposium, “Cybernetics and the Management of Large Systems”, National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD (proceedings edited by Dewan, 1969)
• 1967 First Annual Cybernetics Symposium, “Purposive Systems” (proceedings edited by von Foerster, 1968)
• 1964 Conference on Cybernetics and Society, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
• 1964 Inaugural Meeting of ASC, Cosmos Club, Washington, DC
• 1962 Conference on Self-Organizing Systems, Chicago, IL (Pre-ASC)
• 1961 Conference on Principles of Self-Organization, Allerton Park, Monticello, IL (Pre-ASC )

Conferences in the 1950s (pre-ASC)

• 1959 Conference on Self-Organizing Systems
• April 1953: Tenth Macy conference, New York City
• March 1952: Ninth Macy conference, New York City
• March 1951: Eighth Macy conference, New York City
• March 1950: Seventh Macy conference, New York City

Conferences in the 1940s (pre-ASC)

• March 1949: Sixth Macy conference, New York City
• Spring 1948: Fifth Macy conference, New York City
• October 1947: Fourth Macy conference, New York City
• March 1947: Third Macy conference, New York City
• October 1946: Second Macy conference, New York City
• March 1946: First conference sponsored by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, New York, NY