WHITE BOX
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3770 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
- “A system of known components, put together in a certain fashion so as to affect a given input-output functioning” (I. BLAUBERG & al, 1977, p.163).
In other words, it is any constructed algorithmic device.
Consequently, the internal mechanism of a white box is apparent and understandable. Of course, this can be so for some observers and not for others, as distinct observers may produce different descriptions of the box, all of these mere results of their peculiar position as observers (R. GLANVILLE, 1979, p.35-7)
A simplistic observer may also see ablack box as white, due to some superficial or reductionist way of observing. This can be very dangerous.
A possible example of this kind of simplifications is the dubious assimilation by some behavioral psychologists of man's behavior to a set of simpleinput-output effects . This can moreover easily lead to psychological manipulation, of the brain washing type.
Most man-made machines are, or at least, are intended to be white boxes. However, it frequently happens that the components and the way they are put together have unknown properties, which are not perceived at the time of assembly… and turn the white box into a black box.