An Introduction to Perceptual Control Theory— Standing at the Crossroads

William T. Powers

Many people have some sense of what control is about, but very few understand clearly how control works and even fewer (including control engineers) understand clearly what a control systems controls: Not “output” or “action” but perception of whatever is being controlled; that which action accomplishes. When you stop to think about it, you realize that a control system knows nothing about output or actions; it “knows” only what it senses. The distinction may seem trivial, but the consequences are profound. Bill Powers puts it all in context.