--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Should one name one central concept, a…" description: "\"Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of cybernetics, it would be circularity.\" — Heinz von Foerster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png" --- # Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of… ![“Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of cybernetics, it would be circularity.” quote by Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png) > “Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of cybernetics, it would be circularity.” [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cybernetics centers on feedback loops, where outputs loop back as inputs, creating self‑referential systems. **In simple terms:** Circular feedback defines cybernetics. Key Takeaway Recognize feedback loops in systems. Themes systems feedback self‑reference Mood analytical critical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - engineering - organizational management - software design - ecology Key Concepts cybernetics systems theory control theory Questions to Reflect On - What loops in your work are invisible? - How can you improve feedback clarity? A Different Perspective Feedback can be delayed or noisy, reducing effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Circularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circularity/) [Concept Principle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concept-principle-1448323/) [Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) [Cybernetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybernetics/) [Cybernetics Circularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cybernetics-circularity-1448321/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Principle Cybernetics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principle-cybernetics-1448322/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“If a concept or principle finds its place in an explanatory theory, it cannot be excluded on methodological grounds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-a-concept-or-principle-finds-its-place-in-an-explanatory-theory-it/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Cybernetics is NOT the banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/cybernetics-is-not-the-banana/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [First-order cybernetics is the science of observed systems; Second-order cybernetics is the science of observing systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/first-order-cybernetics-is-the-science-of-observed-systems-second/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Suppose we wonder whether we should trust the deliverances of our basic epistemic competences. If those are indeed our basic competences, then in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/suppose-we-wonder-whether-we-should-trust-the-deliverances-of-our/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [The charge that the construction of the geologic scale involves circularity has a certain amount of validity. ...Thus, the procedure is far from ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-raup/the-charge-that-the-construction-of-the-geologic-scale-involves/) [David M. Raup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-raup/) > [“...no theory of hermeneutic legitimation can be indeed legitimate if not by the process of hermeneutic reading… At the origin of the hermeneutic practice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-theory-of-hermeneutic-legitimation-can-be-indeed-legitimate-if-not/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The banks lobbied Washington so they could write the rules that got us into this crisis. They then lobbied Washington to get the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-banks-lobbied-washington-so-they-could-write-the-rules-that-got/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“The circularity of influence was like a trail of dominoes falling in four dimensions. Each time one slapped another and fell to the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/the-circularity-of-influence-was-like-a-trail-of-dominoes-falling-in/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [The past is there, but life is circular. I have a strong sense of the circularity of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-past-is-there-but-life-is-circular-i-have-a-strong-sense-of-the/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Beauty is Nature in perfection; circularity is its chief attribute. Behold the full moon, the enchanting golf ball, the domes of splendid temples, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/beauty-is-nature-in-perfection-circularity-is-its-chief-attribute/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Overemphasis of efficiency leads to an unfortunate circularity in design: for reasons of efficiency early programming languages reflected the characteristics of the early computers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-iverson/overemphasis-of-efficiency-leads-to-an-unfortunate-circularity-in/) [Kenneth E. Iverson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-iverson/) > [“There is a circularity here I do not doubt. I am defending the Bible by the Bible. Circularity of a kind is unavoidable when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-frame/there-is-a-circularity-here-i-do-not-doubt-i-am-defending-the-bible/) [John M. Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-frame/) > [In arriving at the relevant theory about the specifics of our faculty of vision we will presumably use our eyes to gather relevant data.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/in-arriving-at-the-relevant-theory-about-the-specifics-of-our-faculty/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [the solution to racism lies in our ability to see its ubiquity but not to concede its inevitability. It lies in the collective and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/the-solution-to-racism-lies-in-our-ability-to-see-its-ubiquity-but/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [ The traditional paradigm of parenting has been very hierarchical, the parent knows best and very top down. Conscious parenting topples \[this paradigm\] on its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-tsabary/the-traditional-paradigm-of-parenting-has-been-very-hierarchical-the/) [Shefali Tsabary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-tsabary/) ## More by Heinz von Foerster > [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Something that cannot be explained cannot be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/something-that-cannot-be-explained-cannot-be-seen/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [“Everything that is said is said by an observer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/everything-that-is-said-is-said-by-an-observer/) [Heinz Von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Hard sciences are successful because they deal with the soft problems; soft sciences are struggling because they deal with the hard problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/hard-sciences-are-successful-because-they-deal-with-the-soft-problems/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [“The aesthetical imperative: If you desire to see, learn how to act”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/the-aesthetical-imperative-if-you-desire-to-see-learn-how-to-act/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Cybernetics is NOT the banana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/cybernetics-is-not-the-banana/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Objectivity is the delusion that observations could be made without an observer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/objectivity-is-the-delusion-that-observations-could-be-made-without/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [What we need now is the description of the "describer" or, in other words, we need a theory of the observer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/what-we-need-now-is-the-description-of-the-describer-or-in-other/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Objectivity is a subject's delusion that observing can be done without him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/objectivity-is-a-subject-s-delusion-that-observing-can-be-done/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [First-order cybernetics is the science of observed systems; Second-order cybernetics is the science of observing systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/first-order-cybernetics-is-the-science-of-observed-systems-second/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [If you desire to see, learn how to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/if-you-desire-to-see-learn-how-to-act/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [The environment as we perceive it is our invention,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/the-environment-as-we-perceive-it-is-our-invention/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) > [Either Stone Age man was a technological wizard, who carefully removed his technological achievements so as not to upset his inferior progeny, or our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/either-stone-age-man-was-a-technological-wizard-who-carefully-removed/) [Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) [Explore all 14 Heinz von Foerster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/) ## More Circularity quotes > [the solution to racism lies in our ability to see its ubiquity but not to concede its inevitability. It lies in the collective and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-j-williams/the-solution-to-racism-lies-in-our-ability-to-see-its-ubiquity-but/) [Patricia J. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-j-williams/) > [In arriving at the relevant theory about the specifics of our faculty of vision we will presumably use our eyes to gather relevant data.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/in-arriving-at-the-relevant-theory-about-the-specifics-of-our-faculty/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [“There is a circularity here I do not doubt. I am defending the Bible by the Bible. Circularity of a kind is unavoidable when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-frame/there-is-a-circularity-here-i-do-not-doubt-i-am-defending-the-bible/) [John M. Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-frame/) > [Overemphasis of efficiency leads to an unfortunate circularity in design: for reasons of efficiency early programming languages reflected the characteristics of the early computers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-iverson/overemphasis-of-efficiency-leads-to-an-unfortunate-circularity-in/) [Kenneth E. Iverson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-iverson/) > [Beauty is Nature in perfection; circularity is its chief attribute. Behold the full moon, the enchanting golf ball, the domes of splendid temples, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/beauty-is-nature-in-perfection-circularity-is-its-chief-attribute/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [The past is there, but life is circular. I have a strong sense of the circularity of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-past-is-there-but-life-is-circular-i-have-a-strong-sense-of-the/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [“The circularity of influence was like a trail of dominoes falling in four dimensions. Each time one slapped another and fell to the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/the-circularity-of-influence-was-like-a-trail-of-dominoes-falling-in/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [The banks lobbied Washington so they could write the rules that got us into this crisis. They then lobbied Washington to get the money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-banks-lobbied-washington-so-they-could-write-the-rules-that-got/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [“...no theory of hermeneutic legitimation can be indeed legitimate if not by the process of hermeneutic reading… At the origin of the hermeneutic practice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-theory-of-hermeneutic-legitimation-can-be-indeed-legitimate-if-not/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [The charge that the construction of the geologic scale involves circularity has a certain amount of validity. ...Thus, the procedure is far from ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-raup/the-charge-that-the-construction-of-the-geologic-scale-involves/) [David M. Raup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-raup/) > [Suppose we wonder whether we should trust the deliverances of our basic epistemic competences. If those are indeed our basic competences, then in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-sosa/suppose-we-wonder-whether-we-should-trust-the-deliverances-of-our/) [Ernest Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-sosa/) > [ The traditional paradigm of parenting has been very hierarchical, the parent knows best and very top down. Conscious parenting topples \[this paradigm\] on its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-tsabary/the-traditional-paradigm-of-parenting-has-been-very-hierarchical-the/) [Shefali Tsabary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-tsabary/) > [Utility is a metaphysical concept of impregnable circularity; utility is the quality in commodities that makes individuals want to buy them, and the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-robinson/utility-is-a-metaphysical-concept-of-impregnable-circularity-utility/) [Joan Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-robinson/) [Browse all 14 Circularity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circularity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of cybernetics, it would be circularity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heinz von Foerster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-first-principle-of-cybernetics/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circularity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-first-principle-of-cybernetics/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33b/heinz-von-foerster-33840_circularity_should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-fi_923523.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Should one name one central concept, a first principle, of cybernetics, it would be circularity.” — Heinz von Foerster", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Heinz von Foerster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Should one name one central concept,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-first-principle-of-cybernetics/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/should-one-name-one-central-concept-a-first-principle-of-cybernetics/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```