The Misdirected Human

Karl Steinbuch outlines in his book “Misdirected?” a view of humanity deeply rooted in cybernetics. Humans are not portrayed as metaphysical beings or mere carriers of cultural traditions, but as information-processing, adaptive, and feedback-oriented systems.

From this perspective, humans are primarily beings that absorb information from their environment, process it, make decisions, and develop patterns of behavior. These processes are dynamic, prone to error, and rely on feedback rather than being rigid or linear. Learning, according to cybernetic principles, occurs only where feedback is allowed: where errors can be identified, reflected upon, and corrected.

Steinbuch urgently warns that humans’ capacity for self-regulation is at risk—particularly due to faulty information inputs, manipulative media, ideological education systems, and the absence of genuine feedback. In this context, he introduces the term “Hinterwelt,” borrowed from Friedrich Nietzsche. This “Hinterwelt” refers to an intellectual elite that, as Steinbuch suggests, has settled into an idealized worldview disconnected from the technical, scientific, and cybernetic reality. He believes this “Hinterwelt” shapes educational policy, media landscapes, and societal discourse in ways that lead humanity not towards maturity but dependency.

For Steinbuch, humans are neither creatures to be conditioned nor merely moral subjects. Instead, they are cybernetic beings that flourish in open, transparent, and structured information processes. Their freedom is not about arbitrariness but lies in the ability to self-correct and learn.

Thus, Steinbuch’s image of humanity is both technical and ethical: It demands an educational system that empowers rather than indoctrinates. A society that institutionally enables feedback rather than suppresses it. And a culture where responsibility is based not on dogma but on understanding systemic interrelations.

In this sense, Steinbuch’s cybernetic view of humanity advocates for an enlightened, self-responsible individual—capable of steering their own thoughts, but only if the societal systems they inhabit do not obstruct this steering but foster it.