Difference between revisions of "Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy"
From Convivial Tools Database
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy was an Austrian-born biologist who is credited with founding [[General Systems Theory]]. | Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy was an Austrian-born biologist who is credited with founding [[General Systems Theory]]. | ||
| − | == | + | ==A Systems Theory in Biology== |
Bertalanffy studied philosophy at the University of Vienna, under the neo-kantian philosopher Robert Reininger, and Moritz Schlick, the founder of the Viennese Circle. Bertalanffy also followed closely the development of biological theories at the Viennese Prater Vivarium laboratory, which profoundly influenced his work. Bertalanffy's contribution can thus be seen as the establishment of a philosophical foundation for the theory of systems that was elaborated by the experimental biologists at the Prater Vivarium laboratory. | Bertalanffy studied philosophy at the University of Vienna, under the neo-kantian philosopher Robert Reininger, and Moritz Schlick, the founder of the Viennese Circle. Bertalanffy also followed closely the development of biological theories at the Viennese Prater Vivarium laboratory, which profoundly influenced his work. Bertalanffy's contribution can thus be seen as the establishment of a philosophical foundation for the theory of systems that was elaborated by the experimental biologists at the Prater Vivarium laboratory. | ||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
He taught at the University of Southern California (1955–58), and in 1960 was appointed Professor for Theoretical Biology of the Department of Zoology and Psychology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. There Bertalanffy participated in the establishment of the Advanced Center for Theoretical Psychology, which became a center for cognitive psychology over the next 30 years. | He taught at the University of Southern California (1955–58), and in 1960 was appointed Professor for Theoretical Biology of the Department of Zoology and Psychology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. There Bertalanffy participated in the establishment of the Advanced Center for Theoretical Psychology, which became a center for cognitive psychology over the next 30 years. | ||
| − | + | Bertalanffy published an overall synthesis of his theory in a book called General System Theory: Foundations, Development, Applications, published in 1968. As a methodology applicable to all sciences, GST encompasses the cybernetic theory of feedback that represents a special class of self-regulating systems. But according to Bertalanffy, there exists a fundamental difference between GST and cybernetics, since feedback mechanisms are controlled by constraints whilst dynamical systems show the free interplay of forces. Bertalanffy also believed that general systems concepts were applicable in the social sciences, although he recognised the difficulty of such application, due to the complexity of the intersections between natural sciences and human social systems. However, Bertalanffy's GST remains a bridge for interdisciplinary study of systems in areas such as sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, and psychology. | |
After his retirement from the Univerity of Alberta, he became a Professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the State University of New York (SUNY) until his death in 1972. | After his retirement from the Univerity of Alberta, he became a Professor of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the State University of New York (SUNY) until his death in 1972. | ||
| − | ==Links== | + | ==References and Links== |
| + | *Wikipedia article on Bertalanffy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_von_Bertalanffy | ||
*http://www.isss.org/lumLVB.htm | *http://www.isss.org/lumLVB.htm | ||
*http://isss.org/projects/ludwig_von_bertalanffy | *http://isss.org/projects/ludwig_von_bertalanffy | ||
| − | |||
*Is Paul Weiss' and Ludwig von Bertalanffy's System Thinking still valid today? Manfred Drack 1 and Wilfried Apfalter 2 | *Is Paul Weiss' and Ludwig von Bertalanffy's System Thinking still valid today? Manfred Drack 1 and Wilfried Apfalter 2 | ||
| − | * | + | *David Pouvreau, La tragédie dialectique du concept de totalité, Une biographie non officielle de Ludge von Bertalanffy (1901-1972) |
[[Category:Post-War Cybernetics]] | [[Category:Post-War Cybernetics]] | ||
