Theory of Logical Types
Cybernetics contains Russell and Whitehead's Theory of Logical Types. These types must not be muddled and must be kept separate. For example "the name of a class cannot also be a member of the class". A message is made up of words and the context that modifies it. The context is of a higher logical type than the words. For example, the word "cat" cannot scratch you. The real animal and the word cat are of two different logical types. Another example—this one of purely nonverbal communication among animals is: two puppies are playing and they growl at each other and nip each other gently. The first level of the message could be described as, "I am threatening you; I will bite you" A higher level of the message is, "this is play fighting; I won't hurt you." (See chapters: A Theory of Play and Fantasy and Towards a Theory of Schizophrenia--subsection The Base in Communications Theory, both in Steps to an Ecology of Mind).
Read more about this topic: Double Bind
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