This is true though the systems Beer was talking about so have claimed purposes. This is the cybersyn guy. His head was in the clouds of modeling complex dynamic systems such that you can place human control and intent in the loop. People often claim systems work that way but they do so by conflating (stated) intent with real-world function without bothering to verify the latter.

Example: the entire field of economics.

[–] bubbalu@hexbear.net 7 points 8 months ago

The definition of 'purpose' that I have internalized is 'a subjective claim about what a system does and why it was built/evolved to function in that way.' But I think the concept of purpose being used here is 'the function the system performs.' Capitalism is so horrible because it reduces the 'purpose' to all human life down to 'that which makes profit'; a car isn't 'for moving' it is 'for making profit', a hospital isn't 'for healing the sick' it's 'for making profit.'