Cybernetics is a little understood and mainly philosophical area of study. It has been applied to social theory, physical and spatial relationships, and computer science, to name just a few of the many areas it touches upon. The field of study is still very young and not well-defined, so there are actually many differing ideas on the definition.

Norbert Wiener, a mathematician, engineer and philosopher was the first to try to thoroughly define cybernetics. He believed it was the science of communications and control in animals and machines. He took the word from the Greek word for steersman. Ampere, who came before Wiener, wanted cybernetics to be the science of government and philosopher Warren McCulloch thought cybernetics was an experimental idea concerned with the communication with and between an observer and his environment. Some think of cybernetics as the science of effective organization, while others believe it focuses on form and pattern. Margaret Mead, the famed anthropologist, believed it was a language for expressing what one sees.

Cybernetic theory has four components: variety, circularity, process and observation. Variety relates to the information and communication/control theories and emphasizes choices. Circularity ignores concepts of hierarchy in systems, favoring a more level playing field. Process looks at feedback loops and involves regulations within systems. Observation involves decision making and how we compute conclusions.

Currently, cybernetics is applied to cognition and such practical pursuits as psychiatry, family therapy, management and government and is mainly used to understand complex forms of social organization including communication and computer networks.

Still in its infancy, the full potential of cybernetics is as yet unknown. Called the science and art of understanding and often thought of as interfacing hard problems with soft sciences, cybernetics is likely to be studied by philosophers, mathematicians, sociologists, and other scientists for many years to come before a firm definition evolves.