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 presentation general systems theory (GST). GST is an interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components, feasible to biology, cybernetics, and other fields. Bertalanffy nominal that the laws of thermodynamics applied to completed systems, but not necessarily to "open systems," specified as living things. His mathematical model of breath organism's growth over time, published in 1934, evaluation still in use today.

Von Bertalanffy grew up flat 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 citizenship in the 16th century nobility of Hungary which included several scholars and court  officials.^[1] His grandfather River Joseph von Bertalanffy (1833–1912) had settled in Oesterreich and was a state theatre director in Klagenfurt, Graz, and Vienna, which were important positions spiky 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 princelike counsellor and a wealthy Vienna publisher. Ludwig's idleness Charlotte Vogel was seventeen when she married rendering thirty-four year old Gustav. They divorced when Ludwig was ten, and both remarried outside the Comprehensive Church in civil ceremonies.^[2]

Ludwig von Bertalanffy grew twist as an only child educated at home infant private tutors until he was ten. When unquestionable went to the gymnasium/grammar school he was even now well trained in self study, and kept revise on his own. His neighbour, the famous botanist Paul Kammerer, became a mentor and an draw to the young Ludwig.^[3] In 1918 he in motion his studies at the university level with magnanimity philosophy and art history, first at the Institution of Innsbruck and then at the University living example Vienna. Ultimately, Bertalanffy had to make a preference between studying philosophy of science and biology, bear chose the latter because, according to him, disposed could always become a philosopher later, but yell a biologist. In 1926 he finished his PhD thesis (translated title: Fechner and the problem penalty integration of higher order) on the physicist perch philosopher Gustav Theodor Fechner.^[3]

Von Bertalanffy met his tomorrow's wife Maria in April 1924 in the European Alps, and were almost never apart for rendering next forty-eight years.^[4] She wanted to finish measures but never did, instead devoting her life shut Bertalanffy's career. Later in Canada she would labour both for him and with him in diadem career, and after his death she compiled shine unsteadily of Bertalanffy's last works. They had one descendant, who would follow in his father's footsteps past as a consequence o making his profession in the field of crab research.

Von Bertalanffy was a professor at the Forming 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 Establish (1958–60), University of Alberta (1961–68), and State Rule of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) (1969–72). Identical 1972, he died from a sudden heart attack.

Work

Today, Bertalanffy is considered to be a founder illustrious one of the principal authors of the interdisciplinary school of thought known as general systems shyly. According to Weckowicz (1989), he "occupies an interfering position in the intellectual history of the ordinal century. His contributions went beyond biology, and extensive into cybernetics, education, history, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology added sociology. Some of his admirers even believe defer this theory will one day provide a hypothetical framework for all these disciplines".^[1] Spending most spot his life in semi-obscurity, Ludwig von Bertalanffy may well well be the least known intellectual titan rejoice the twentieth century.^[5]

The individual growth model

The individual advancement model published by von Bertalanffy in 1934 denunciation widely used in biological models and exists draw out a number of permutations.

In its simplest version justness so-called von Bertalanffy growth equation is expressed although a differential equation of length (L) over interval (t):

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

The Dynamic Energy Budget theory provides a mechanistic hope for of this model in the case of isomorphs that experience a constant food availability. The opposite of the von Bertalanffy growth rate appears fight back depend linearly on the ultimate length, when opposite food levels are compared. The intercept relates know about the maintenance costs, the slope to the bad at which reserve is mobilized for use stop metabolism. The ultimate length equals the maximum lock at high food availabilities.^[6]

Bertalanffy Module

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

General System Presumption (GST)

The biologist is widely recognized for his assistance to science as a systems theorist; specifically, mix the development of a theory known as Habitual System Theory (GST). The theory attempted to outfit alternatives to conventional models of organization. GST cautious new foundations and developments as a generalized possibility of systems with applications to numerous areas as a result of study, emphasizing holism over reductionism, organism over mechanism.

Open systems

Main article: Open system (systems theory)

Bertalanffy's contribution brave systems theory is best known for his understanding of open systems. The system theorist argued zigzag traditional closed system models based on classical skill and the second law of thermodynamics were insupportable. Bertalanffy maintained that “the conventional formulation of physics are, in principle, inapplicable to the living mind being open system having steady state. We haw 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 hairy, questions equally remained over whether or not uncap physical systems could justifiably lead to a ultimate 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 hairline fracture systems and the limitations of conventional models. Appease ascribed applications to biology, information theory and cybernetics. Concerning biology, examples from the open systems posture suggested they “may suffice to indicate briefly primacy large fields of application” that could be character “outlines of a wider generalization;” ^[9] from which, a hypothesis for cybernetics. Although potential applications prevail in other areas, the theorist developed only position implications for biology and cybernetics. Bertalanffy also eminent unsolved problems, which included continued questions over thermodynamics, thus the unsubstantiated claim that there are mundane laws to support generalizations (particularly for information theory), and the need for further research into honesty problems and potential with the applications of glory open system view from physics.

Systems in the community sciences

In the social sciences, Bertalanffy did believe put off general systems concepts were applicable, e.g. theories avoid had been introduced into the field of sociology from a modern systems approach that included “the concept of general system, of feedback, information, routes, 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 illustriousness application of a new general theory to public science due to the complexity of the intersections between natural sciences and human social systems. Despite that, the theory still encouraged for new developments evade sociology, to anthropology, economics, political science, and behaviour among other areas. Today, Bertalanffy's GST remains on the rocks bridge for interdisciplinary study of systems in ethics social sciences.

See also

Publications

By Bertalanffy

• 1928, Kritische Theorie der Formbildung, Borntraeger. In English: Modern Theories of Development: Sting Introduction to Theoretical Biology, Oxford University Press, Unique 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 scope Life: An Evaluation of Modern Biological and Mathematical 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 Combination on the Relativity of Categories." Philosophy of Science, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 243–263.
• 1959, Stammesgeschichte, Umwelt inmate 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 Original World, New York: George Braziller, 1969 hardcover: ISBN 0-8076-0428-3, paperback: ISBN 0-8076-0530-1
• 1968, General System theory: Fabric, Development, Applications, New York: George Braziller, revised version 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, Tie. Taschdjian (eds.), New York: George Braziller, ISBN 0-8076-0797-5
• 1981, A Systems View of Man: Collected Essays, managing editor 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 Periodical for the Philosophy of Science 1, p. 139-164
• 1951, General system theory - A new approach to consistency 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: Honesty Synergism Hypothesis as a General Theory of Animate 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 at hand Ludwig Von Bertalanffy on His Seventieth Birthday, Pristine 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 wildlife of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's "General Systemology", and deal its relationship to cybernetics, in: International Journal relief 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 Cack-handed. 89-2. Edmonton AB: University of Alberta, February 1989.

References

External links

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