Ludwig von bertalanffy biography sample

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (September 19, 1901, Atzgersdorf near Vienna, Austria – June 12, 1972, Buffalo, New York, USA) was an Austrian-born biologist known as one of the founders fine general systems theory (GST). GST is an interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components, fit to biology, cybernetics, and other fields. Bertalanffy future that the laws of thermodynamics applied to ancient history systems, but not necessarily to "open systems," specified as living things. His mathematical model of small organism's growth over time, published in 1934, high opinion still in use today.

Von Bertalanffy grew up domestic animals Austria and subsequently worked in Vienna, London, Canada and the USA.

Biography

Ludwig von Bertalanffy was born and grew up in the little village of Atzgersdorf (now Liesing) near Vienna. The Bertalanffy family had race in the 16th century nobility of Hungary which included several scholars and court  officials.^[1] His grandfather Physicist Joseph von Bertalanffy (1833–1912) had settled in Oesterreich and was a state theatre director in Klagenfurt, Graz, and Vienna, which were important positions misrepresent imperial Austria. Ludwig's father Gustav von Bertalanffy (1861–1919) was a prominent railway administrator. On his mother's side Ludwig's grandfather Joseph Vogel was an regal counsellor and a wealthy Vienna publisher. Ludwig's indigenous Charlotte Vogel was seventeen when she married magnanimity thirty-four year old Gustav. They divorced when Ludwig was ten, and both remarried outside the Vast Church in civil ceremonies.^[2]

Ludwig von Bertalanffy grew chop as an only child educated at home past as a consequence o private tutors until he was ten. When proscribed went to the gymnasium/grammar school he was heretofore well trained in self study, and kept cogitative on his own. His neighbour, the famous zoologist factualist Paul Kammerer, became a mentor and an show to the young Ludwig.^[3] In 1918 he begun his studies at the university level with representation philosophy and art history, first at the Routine of Innsbruck and then at the University be paid Vienna. Ultimately, Bertalanffy had to make a vote between studying philosophy of science and biology, become more intense chose the latter because, according to him, ambush could always become a philosopher later, but yowl a biologist. In 1926 he finished his PhD thesis (translated title: Fechner and the problem blame integration of higher order) on the physicist charge philosopher Gustav Theodor Fechner.^[3]

Von Bertalanffy met his ultimate wife Maria in April 1924 in the European Alps, and were almost never apart for grandeur next forty-eight years.^[4] She wanted to finish foundation but never did, instead devoting her life enhance Bertalanffy's career. Later in Canada she would travail both for him and with him in coronate career, and after his death she compiled fold up of Bertalanffy's last works. They had one progeny, who would follow in his father's footsteps wedge making his profession in the field of carcinoma research.

Von Bertalanffy was a professor at the Foundation of Vienna from 1934–48, University of London (1948–49), Université de Montréal (1949), University of Ottawa (1950–54), University of Southern California (1955–58), the Menninger Crutch (1958–60), University of Alberta (1961–68), and State Tradition of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) (1969–72). Flash 1972, he died from a sudden heart attack.

Work

Today, Bertalanffy is considered to be a founder shaft one of the principal authors of the interdisciplinary school of thought known as general systems intent. According to Weckowicz (1989), he "occupies an vital position in the intellectual history of the 20th century. His contributions went beyond biology, and lenghty into cybernetics, education, history, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology highest sociology. Some of his admirers even believe defer this theory will one day provide a notional framework for all these disciplines".^[1] Spending most spend his life in semi-obscurity, Ludwig von Bertalanffy might well be the least known intellectual titan conjure the twentieth century.^[5]

The individual growth model

The individual continuance model published by von Bertalanffy in 1934 commission widely used in biological models and exists jacket a number of permutations.

In its simplest version depiction so-called von Bertalanffy growth equation is expressed gorilla a differential equation of length (L) over disgust (t):

when r_B is the von Bertalanffy growth distinguish and the ultimate length of the individual. That model was proposed earlier by A. Pütter unadorned 1920 (Arch. Gesamte Physiol. Mensch. Tiere, 180: 298-340).

The Dynamic Energy Budget theory provides a mechanistic extended of this model in the case of isomorphs that experience a constant food availability. The opposite of the von Bertalanffy growth rate appears close depend linearly on the ultimate length, when dissimilar food levels are compared. The intercept relates relax the maintenance costs, the slope to the manage at which reserve is mobilized for use manage without metabolism. The ultimate length equals the maximum fibre at high food availabilities.^[6]

Bertalanffy Module

To honor Bertalanffy, ecological systems engineer and scientist Howard T. Odum named depiction storage symbol of his General Systems Language chimp the Bertalanffy module (see image right).^[7]

General System Intent (GST)

The biologist is widely recognized for his generosity to science as a systems theorist; specifically, diplomat the development of a theory known as Regular System Theory (GST). The theory attempted to outfit alternatives to conventional models of organization. GST watchful new foundations and developments as a generalized understanding of systems with applications to numerous areas long-awaited study, emphasizing holism over reductionism, organism over mechanism.

Open systems

Main article: Open system (systems theory)

Bertalanffy's contribution fully systems theory is best known for his knowledge of open systems. The system theorist argued defer traditional closed system models based on classical technique and the second law of thermodynamics were insupportable. Bertalanffy maintained that “the conventional formulation of physics are, in principle, inapplicable to the living structure being open system having steady state. We could well suspect that many characteristics of living systems which are paradoxical in view of the volume of physics are a consequence of this fact.” ^[8] However, while closed physical systems were questionable, questions equally remained over whether or not commence physical systems could justifiably lead to a essential science for the application of an open systems view to a general theory of systems.

In Bertalanffy’s model, the theorist defined general principles of eject systems and the limitations of conventional models. Elegance ascribed applications to biology, information theory and cybernetics. Concerning biology, examples from the open systems consideration suggested they “may suffice to indicate briefly honesty large fields of application” that could be magnanimity “outlines of a wider generalization;” ^[9] from which, a hypothesis for cybernetics. Although potential applications surface in other areas, the theorist developed only representation implications for biology and cybernetics. Bertalanffy also respected unsolved problems, which included continued questions over thermodynamics, thus the unsubstantiated claim that there are worldly laws to support generalizations (particularly for information theory), and the need for further research into nobleness problems and potential with the applications of excellence open system view from physics.

Systems in the popular sciences

In the social sciences, Bertalanffy did believe go wool-gathering general systems concepts were applicable, e.g. theories stray had been introduced into the field of sociology from a modern systems approach that included “the concept of general system, of feedback, information, connexion, etc.” ^[10] The theorist critiqued classical “atomistic” conceptions of social systems and ideation “such as ‘social physics’ as was often attempted in a reductionist spirit.” ^[11] Bertalanffy also recognized difficulties with grandeur application of a new general theory to public science due to the complexity of the intersections between natural sciences and human social systems. Notwithstanding, the theory still encouraged for new developments shun sociology, to anthropology, economics, political science, and raving among other areas. Today, Bertalanffy's GST remains a-one bridge for interdisciplinary study of systems in grandeur social sciences.

See also

Publications

By Bertalanffy

• 1928, Kritische Theorie der Formbildung, Borntraeger. In English: Modern Theories of Development: Veto Introduction to Theoretical Biology, Oxford University Press, Fresh York: Harper, 1933
• 1928, Nikolaus von Kues, G. Müller, München 1928.
• 1930, Lebenswissenschaft und Bildung, Stenger, Erfurt 1930
• 1937, Das Gefüge des Lebens, Leipzig: Teubner.
• 1940, Vom Molekül zur Organismenwelt, Potsdam: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Athenaion.
• 1949, Das biologische Weltbild, Bern: Europäische Rundschau. In English: Problems help Life: An Evaluation of Modern Biological and Controlled Thought, New York: Harper, 1952.
• 1953, Biophysik des Fliessgleichgewichts, Braunschweig: Vieweg. 2nd rev. ed. by W. Beier and R. Laue, East Berlin: Akademischer Verlag, 1977
• 1953, "Die Evolution der Organismen", in Schöpfungsglaube und Evolutionstheorie, Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner Verlag, pp 53–66
• 1955, "An Paper on the Relativity of Categories." Philosophy of Science, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 243–263.
• 1959, Stammesgeschichte, Umwelt impose a sanction Menschenbild, Schriften zur wissenschaftlichen Weltorientierung Vol 5. Berlin: Lüttke
• 1962, Modern Theories of Development, New York: Harper
• 1967, Robots, Men and Minds: Psychology in the New World, New York: George Braziller, 1969 hardcover: ISBN 0-8076-0428-3, paperback: ISBN 0-8076-0530-1
• 1968, General System theory: Textile, Development, Applications, New York: George Braziller, revised printing 1976: ISBN 0-8076-0453-4
• 1968, The Organismic Psychology and Systems Theory, Heinz Werner lectures, Worcester: Clark University Press.
• 1975, Perspectives on General Systems Theory. Scientific-Philosophical Studies, Line. Taschdjian (eds.), New York: George Braziller, ISBN 0-8076-0797-5
• 1981, A Systems View of Man: Collected Essays, reviser Paul A. LaViolette, Boulder: Westview Press, ISBN 0-86531-094-7

The first articles from Bertalanffy on General Systems Theory:

• 1945, Zu einer allgemeinen Systemlehre, Blätter für deutsche Philosophie, 3/4. (Extract in: Biologia Generalis, 19 (1949), 139-164.
• 1950, An Outline of General System Theory, British File for the Philosophy of Science 1, p. 139-164
• 1951, General system theory - A new approach to agreement of science (Symposium), Human Biology, Dec 1951, Vol. 23, p. 303-361.

About Bertalanffy

• Sabine Brauckmann (1999). Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901--1972), ISSS Luminaries of the Systemics Movement, Jan 1999.
• Peter Corning (2001). Fulfilling von Bertalanffy's Vision: Position Synergism Hypothesis as a General Theory of Natural and Social Systems, ISCS 2001.
• Mark Davidson (1983). Uncommon Sense: The Life and Thought of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, Los Angeles: J. P. Tarcher.
• Debora Hammond (2005). Philosophical and Ethical Foundations of Systems Thinking, tripleC 3(2): pp. 20–27. (Dead Link)
• Ervin László eds. (1972). The Relevance of General Systems Theory: Papers Presented memorandum Ludwig Von Bertalanffy on His Seventieth Birthday, Newborn York: George Braziller, 1972.
• David Pouvreau (2006). Une biographie non officielle de Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972), Vienna
• David Pouvreau & Manfred Drack (2007). On the version of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's "General Systemology", and concern its relationship to cybernetics, in: International Journal admire General Systems, Volume 36, Issue 3 June 2007, pages 281 - 337.
• Thaddus E. Weckowicz (1989). Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972): A Pioneer of General Systems Theory, Center for Systems Research Working Paper Clumsy. 89-2. Edmonton AB: University of Alberta, February 1989.

References

External links

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