From its very origins, General System Theory is closely related to the world of computers and cybernetics. In fact, some authors contend that Systems Theory is nothing but a synonym for the cybernetics of Ross Ashby. Cybernetics, from the Greek word kyberrietes ('steersman', 'governor') was coined by Norbert Wiener (Cybernetics, New York, 1948) to refer to "the entire field of control and communication theory, whether in the machine or in the animal." Bertalanffy, however, rejected this identification and claimed the superiority of Systems Theory. He considered that cybernetics is only a special case of a general system, and that "it is therefore incorrect to equate cybernetics with general system theory, which is a common mistake.''
In the writings of Herbert Simon, the concept of System is applied to the study of the working of the mind. With the concept of System, Simon attempts to attain the 'simulation of cognitive process' in much the same way as natural phenomena can be simulated through abstract models. Simon considers that both natural and man-made systems are instances of what he calls physical symbol systems. He goes as far as contending that a computer and a human brain are both physical symbol systems, the first made out of 'glass and metal', the second of 'flesh and blood'. Moreover, Simon denies the separation between mind-machine since for him the physical symbol systems are comparable to the abstract symbol systems of mathematics and logic.
