Postmodernism and intelligent control

This paper draws parallels between intelligent control and recent trends in intellectual thought. Developments in philosophy, architecture, linguistics, and semiotics are reviewed as representatives of postmodernism and pragmatism, and contrasted with modern, reductive, analytic schools. Intelligent control, a product of the times no less than these other developments, can also be seen as a reaction to conceptual, theory-intensive modern control science. In this regard, several suggestions for research in intelligent control are discussed: targeting large-scale, complex processes; embracing pluralism as a methodology for control applications; packaging new technology to maximize its acceptance by traditional users; adopting a broader notion of communication and signification in control systems; and overcoming the distinctions that are at the core of the postmodern turn.