Systems science vs cybernetics

Systems Theory or Systems Science argues that however complex or diverse the world that we experience, we will always find different types of organization in it, and such organization can be described by concepts and principles which are independent of the specific domain in which we are looking. Hence, if we would uncover those general laws, we will be able to analyse and solve problems in any domain pertaining to any type of system. The systems approach distinguishes itself from the more traditional analytic approach by emphasizing the interactions and connectedness of the different components of a system. Although the systems approach, in principle, considers all types of systems, it, in practice, focuses on the more complex, adaptive, self-regulating systems, which we might call "cybernetic".

In fact, cybernetics and systems theory study essentially the same problem, that of organization independent of the substrate in which it is embodied. Insofar as it is meaningful to make a distinction between the two approaches, we might say that systems theory has focused more on the structure of systems and their models, whereas cybernetics has focused more on how systems function, that is to say how they control their actions, how they communicate with other systems or with their own components, ... Since structure and function of a system cannot be understood in separation, it is clear that cybernetics and systems theory should be viewed as two facets of a single approach.

Copied from https://www.facebook.com/groups/systems.science