Patterns before recognition: the historical ascendance of an extractive empiricism of forms

This article explores the complex interplay between cybernetics, Gestalt theory, and the concept of pattern recognition. It highlights how both cybernetics and Gestalt theory extended their frameworks to encompass social and anthropological objects, but with inherent tensions. The article argues that in the post-war American context, the formalizability and realizability of patterns in mechanical structures held significant explanatory power regarding human perception and intelligence, leading to an "extractive empiricism" – outsourcing experiential processes to mechanical systems. This approach is evident in cybernetic and cognitive psychological strategies toward Gestalt theory, influencing contemporary machine learning. By examining early interactions between these paradigms, the study aims to broaden the conceptual understanding of pattern recognition beyond its engineering and machine learning perspectives.

Berkay Üstün