{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:56:47Z","timestamp":1754157407144,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":6,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,12]],"date-time":"2009-06-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1244764800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>The purpose of this paper is to mention a set of suggestions for analysing the current financial crisis, but with reservations about the usefulness of one based on Ashby's principle of requisite variety. The reservations are supported by reference to a mechanism of chemotaxis in bacteria. A recent publication concerning the Gaia hypothesis and global warming is reviewed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>The aim is to review developments on the internet, especially those of general cybernetic interest.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>The significance of complexity, in government and management, is not disputed, but doubts are expressed about validity of laws that are purported to treat it quantitatively. A pessimistic view of world future is due to James Lovelock, the originator of the Gaia hypothesis, though there is some reason to believe he is more hopeful than is suggested in an interview.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Practical implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The reservations about Ashby's treatment of complexity are essentially theoretical and do not negate findings based on its robust and imprecise application. Lovelock indicates a means of saving the Earth from disastrous climate change but has little hope that it will be implemented.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>It is hoped this is a valuable periodic review.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/03684920910973126","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2009,7,4]],"date-time":"2009-07-04T07:03:40Z","timestamp":1246691020000},"page":"860-862","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Requisite variety: more on Gaia"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"38","author":[{"given":"Alex M.","family":"Andrew","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b1","unstructured":"Alberts, B., Johnson, A., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K. and Walte, P. (2002), Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th ed., Garland, New York, NY, pp. 890\u20102 (also treated in earlier editions, by Alberts, B., Bray, D., Lewis, J., Raff, M., Roberts, K. and Watson, J.D., 1983, 1989, 1994, on pages indicated by \u201cBacterial Chemotaxis\u201d in subject indices)."},{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b2","unstructured":"Ashby, W.R. (1960), Design for a Brain, 2nd ed., Chapman and Hall, London."},{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b3","unstructured":"Beer, S. (1975), Platform for Change, Wiley, London."},{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Berg, H.C. (1975), \u201cHow bacteria swim\u201d, Scientific American, Vol. 233 No. 2, pp. 36\u201044.","DOI":"10.1038\/scientificamerican0875-36"},{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Conant, R.C. and Ashby, W.R. (1970), \u201cEvery good regulator of a system must be a model of that system\u201d, International Journal of Systems Science, Vol. 1, pp. 89\u201097.","DOI":"10.1080\/00207727008920220"},{"key":"key2022021220222329900_b6","unstructured":"Shannon, C.E. and Weaver, W. (1949), The Mathematical Theory of Communication, University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL, pp. 37\u20109."}],"container-title":["Kybernetes"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emeraldinsight.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1108\/03684920910973126","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/03684920910973126\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/03684920910973126\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:53:39Z","timestamp":1753401219000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/k\/article\/38\/6\/860-862\/449904"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,12]]},"references-count":6,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,12]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/03684920910973126"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/03684920910973126","relation":{},"ISSN":["0368-492X"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"0368-492X"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2009,6,12]]}}}