P Rawes

Second‐order cybernetics, architectural drawing and monadic thinking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine shared principles of “irreducibility” or “undecidability” in second‐order cybernetics, architectural design processes and Leibnizs geometric philosophy. It argues that each discipline constructs relationships, particularly spatio‐temporal relationships, according to these terms.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is organized into two parts and uses architectural criticism and philosophical analysis. The first part examines how second‐order cybernetics and post‐structuralist architectural design processes share these principles. Drawing from von Foersters theory of the “observing observer” it analyses the self‐reflexive and self‐referential modes of production that construct a collaborative architectural design project. Part two examines the terms in relation to Leibnizs account of the “Monad”. Briefly, developing the discussion through Kants theory of aesthetics, it shows that Leibniz provides a “prototype” of undecidable spatial relations that ar...