Modelling Evolutionary Cybernetics: Ontology, Invariants and Design Principles
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15407/intechsys.2025.06.003Keywords:
evolutionary cybernetics, directed evolution, meta-control, two-loop control, cybernetic invariants, co-evolution, digital twinsAbstract
Evolutionary cybernetics (EC) is presented as a general discipline for steering change in technical, biological and socio-technical systems under uncertainty. Unlike classical control with fixed goals and architectures, EC assumes that goals, constraints and structures may themselves evolve. The paper contributes: (i) an ontology of EC with four levels (object, process, mechanism, meta-control) and a two-loop organization (operational vs. evolutionary); (ii) a set of cybernetic invariants-information, resource constraint, regulation, structural organization, temporality, integrity/openness, teleonomy — that summarize cross-domain regularities; (iii) a formal model of an evolutionary cybernetic system and operators for meta-level updates; (iv) methodological principles and functional requirements for engineering EC systems (modularity, guided diversity, pace orchestration, default safety, ex-anteverification and ex-post audits); and (v) application tracks in socio-cybernetics, bio-/neurointerfaces, infrastructure, and sustainability governance. Modern AI (safe RL, control-theoretic shields) and digital twins are positioned as one practical realization of the evolutionary loop rather than its essence. EC thus provides a coherent conceptual and engineering framework for the directed evolution of complex systems.
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