Arturo Rosenblueth, Norbert Wiener and Julian Bigelow · 1943
Behavior, Purpose and Teleology
- Language
- English
- Form
- Periodical
- Text
- In copyright
- English
- English original
- Selected
- Ben Breen, 2026-09-29; suggested by Claude research agents, 29 Sep 2026
- Status
- Arguments unverified; quotations chosen by machine, unchecked
Q03THINKING
Can a machine exercise judgment when faced with circumstances its maker did not anticipate?Yes. feedback machines adjust to conditions not fixed in advance. Machines governed by negative feedback correct their course toward a goal from information about their own errors, so purposeful behavior is not unique to organisms.
Philosophy of Science 10, no. 1, pp. 18–24 · Web search: PhilPapers and SFI Press record the citation; several summaries confirm the feedback argument. Not public domain; no link given.