{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:26:52Z","timestamp":1754155612319,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,4,1]],"date-time":"2019-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1554076800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["K"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,4,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Ranulph Glanville has argued that ambitions of strict control are misplaced in epistemic processes such as learning and designing. Among other reasons, he has presented quantitative arguments for this ethical position. As a part of these arguments, Glanville claimed that strict control even of modest systems transcends the computational limits of our planet. The purpose of this paper is to review the related discourse and to examine the soundness of this claim.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Related literature is reviewed and pertinent lines of reasoning are illustrated and critically examined using examples and straightforward language.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The claim that even modest epistemic processes transcend the computational means of our planet is challenged. The recommendation to assume out-of-control postures in epistemic processes, however, is maintained on ethical rather than on quantitative grounds.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The presented reasoning is limited in as far as it is ultimately based on an ethical standpoint.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This paper summarizes an important cybernetic discourse and dispels the notion therein that epistemic processes necessarily involve computational demands of astronomical proportions. Furthermore, this paper presents a rare discussion of Glanville\u2019s Corollary of Ashby\u2019s Law of Requisite Variety.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/k-11-2017-0457","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,11,16]],"date-time":"2018-11-16T07:48:02Z","timestamp":1542354482000},"page":"793-804","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Transcomputability, (Glanville\u2019s corollary of) Ashby\u2019s law of requisite variety and epistemic processes"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"48","author":[{"given":"Thomas","family":"Fischer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"volume-title":"Journal 17","year":"1952","key":"key2020022115563066400_ref001"},{"volume-title":"An Introduction to Cybernetics","year":"1956","key":"key2020022115563066400_ref002"},{"key":"key2020022115563066400_ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"507","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4899-0718-9_36","article-title":"Introductory remarks at panel discussion","volume-title":"Facets of Systems Science","year":"1991"},{"volume-title":"Platform for Change","year":"1975","key":"key2020022115563066400_ref004"},{"key":"key2020022115563066400_ref005","first-page":"93","article-title":"Optimization through evolution and re-combination","volume-title":"Self-Organizing Systems","year":"1962"},{"key":"key2020022115563066400_ref006","first-page":"585","article-title":"Enablement or restriction? 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