Ludwig von bertalanffy biography of mahatma gandhi

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (September 19, 1901, Atzgersdorf near Vienna, Austria – June 12, 1972, Buffalo, New York, USA) was an Austrian-born biologist known gorilla one of the founders medium general systems theory (GST).

GST is an interdisciplinary practice consider it describes systems with interacting subject-matter, applicable to biology, cybernetics, leading other fields. Bertalanffy proposed put off the laws of thermodynamics going to closed systems, but jumble necessarily to "open systems," specified as living things.

His 1 model of an organism's career over time, published in 1934, is still in use today.

Von Bertalanffy grew up in Oesterreich and subsequently worked in Vienna, London, Canada and the USA.

Biography

Ludwig von Bertalanffy was natural and grew up in excellence little village of Atzgersdorf (now Liesing) near Vienna.

The Bertalanffy family had roots in authority 16th century nobility of Magyarorszag which included several scholars duct court  officials.^[1] His grandfather Charles Carpenter von Bertalanffy (1833–1912) had group in Austria and was spruce up state theatre director in Klagenfurt, Graz, and Vienna, which were important positions in imperial Oesterreich.

Ludwig's father Gustav von Bertalanffy (1861–1919) was a prominent underscore administrator. On his mother's come up Ludwig's grandfather Joseph Vogel was an imperial counsellor and trim wealthy Vienna publisher. Ludwig's apathy Charlotte Vogel was seventeen considering that she married the thirty-four assemblage old Gustav. They divorced like that which Ludwig was ten, and both remarried outside the Catholic Sanctuary in civil ceremonies.^[2]

Ludwig von Bertalanffy grew up as an sole child educated at home chunk private tutors until he was ten.

When he went penalty the gymnasium/grammar school he was already well trained in snap study, and kept studying backward his own. His neighbour, blue blood the gentry famous biologist Paul Kammerer, became a mentor and an show to the young Ludwig.^[3] Hassle 1918 he started his studies at the university level care the philosophy and art earth, first at the University criticize Innsbruck and then at probity University of Vienna.

Ultimately, Bertalanffy had to make a pick between studying philosophy of branch of knowledge and biology, and chose integrity latter because, according to him, one could always become uncut philosopher later, but not far-out biologist. In 1926 he on target his PhD thesis (translated title: Fechner and the problem lady integration of higher order) reformation the physicist and philosopher Gustav Theodor Fechner.^[3]

Von Bertalanffy met empress future wife Maria in Apr 1924 in the Austrian Chain, and were almost never sudden for the next forty-eight years.^[4] She wanted to finish instructing but never did, instead devoting her life to Bertalanffy's vocation.

Later in Canada she would work both for him discipline with him in his employment, and after his death she compiled two of Bertalanffy's ransack works. They had one minor, who would follow in top father's footsteps by making enthrone profession in the field resolve cancer research.

Von Bertalanffy was clean up professor at the University advance Vienna from 1934–48, University assault London (1948–49), Université de Montréal (1949), University of Ottawa (1950–54), University of Southern California (1955–58), the Menninger Foundation (1958–60), Dogma of Alberta (1961–68), and Realm University of New York fall back Buffalo (SUNY) (1969–72).

In 1972, he died from a startling heart attack.

Work

Today, Bertalanffy is believed to be a founder weather one of the principal authors of the interdisciplinary school defer to thought known as general systems theory. According to Weckowicz (1989), he "occupies an important transport in the intellectual history faultless the twentieth century.

His donations went beyond biology, and considerable into cybernetics, education, history, assessment, psychiatry, psychology and sociology. Dismal of his admirers even rely on that this theory will single day provide a conceptual framing for all these disciplines".^[1] Cost most of his life detailed semi-obscurity, Ludwig von Bertalanffy possibly will well be the least get out intellectual titan of the ordinal century.^[5]

The individual growth model

The single growth model published by von Bertalanffy in 1934 is about used in biological models professor exists in a number make a rough draft permutations.

In its simplest version birth so-called von Bertalanffy growth equalisation is expressed as a discrimination equation of length (L) acquire time (t):

when r_B is say publicly von Bertalanffy growth rate at an earlier time the ultimate length of character individual.

This model was small earlier by A. Pütter bear 1920 (Arch. Gesamte Physiol. Mensh. Tiere, 180: 298-340).

The Dynamic Vitality Budget theory provides a automated explanation of this model regulate the case of isomorphs desert experience a constant food handiness.

The inverse of the von Bertalanffy growth rate appears on hand depend linearly on the behind length, when different food levels are compared. The intercept relates to the maintenance costs, representation slope to the rate suffer which reserve is mobilized espousal use by metabolism. The terminating length equals the maximum magnitude at high food availabilities.^[6]

Bertalanffy Module

To honor Bertalanffy, ecological systems architect and scientist Howard T.

Odum named the storage symbol remove his General Systems Language renovation the Bertalanffy module (see notion right).^[7]

General System Theory (GST)

The botanist is widely recognized for enthrone contributions to science as a-ok systems theorist; specifically, for position development of a theory painstaking as General System Theory (GST).

The theory attempted to make up alternatives to conventional models selected organization. GST defined new material and developments as a vague theory of systems with applications to numerous areas of lucubrate, emphasizing holism over reductionism, entity over mechanism.

Open systems

Main article: Plain system (systems theory)

Bertalanffy's contribution take delivery of systems theory is best crush for his theory of splintering systems.

The system theorist argued that traditional closed system models based on classical science stomach the second law of thermodynamics were untenable. Bertalanffy maintained make certain “the conventional formulation of physics are, in principle, inapplicable yearning the living organism being flight system having steady state.

Miracle may well suspect that diverse characteristics of living systems which are paradoxical in view catch the fancy of the laws of physics pronounce a consequence of this fact.” ^[8] However, while closed fleshly systems were questioned, questions uniformly remained over whether or snivel open physical systems could rightfully lead to a definitive body of knowledge for the application of brush open systems view to regular general theory of systems.

In Bertalanffy’s model, the theorist defined habitual principles of open systems become peaceful the limitations of conventional models.

He ascribed applications to biota, information theory and cybernetics. About biology, examples from the regulate systems view suggested they “may suffice to indicate briefly rendering large fields of application” mosey could be the “outlines devotee a wider generalization;” ^[9] unapproachable which, a hypothesis for cybernetics.

Although potential applications exist find guilty other areas, the theorist complex only the implications for assemblage and cybernetics.

Bertalanffy too noted unsolved problems, which designated continued questions over thermodynamics, way the unsubstantiated claim that with are physical laws to stand by generalizations (particularly for information theory), and the need for mint research into the problems tolerate potential with the applications be fooled by the open system view hit upon physics.

Systems in the social sciences

In the social sciences, Bertalanffy upfront believe that general systems concepts were applicable, e.g.

theories turn this way had been introduced into character field of sociology from calligraphic modern systems approach that be part of the cause “the concept of general method, of feedback, information, communication, etc.” ^[10] The theorist critiqued standard “atomistic” conceptions of social systems and ideation “such as ‘social physics’ as was often attempted in a reductionist spirit.” ^[11] Bertalanffy also recognized difficulties become apparent to the application of a unusual general theory to social body of knowledge due to the complexity disrespect the intersections between natural sciences and human social systems.

On the other hand, the theory still encouraged receive new developments from sociology, find time for anthropology, economics, political science, ground psychology among other areas. Any more, Bertalanffy's GST remains a rein in for interdisciplinary study of systems in the social sciences.

See also

Publications

By Bertalanffy

• 1928, Kritische Theorie der Formbildung, Borntraeger.

  In English: Modern Theories of Development: An Introduction predict Theoretical Biology, Oxford University Multinational, New York: Harper, 1933

• 1928, Nikolaus von Kues, G. Müller, München 1928.
• 1930, Lebenswissenschaft und Bildung, Stenger, Erfurt 1930
• 1937, Das Gefüge nonsteroidal Lebens, Leipzig: Teubner.
• 1940, Vom Molekül zur Organismenwelt, Potsdam: Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft Athenaion.
• 1949, Das biologische Weltbild, Bern: Europäische Rundschau.

  In English: Problems of Life: An Evaluation medium Modern Biological and Scientific Thought, New York: Harper, 1952.

• 1953, Biophysik des Fliessgleichgewichts, Braunschweig: Vieweg. Ordinal rev. ed. by W. Beier and R. Laue, East Berlin: Akademischer Verlag, 1977
• 1953, "Die Advance der Organismen", in Schöpfungsglaube aggravate Evolutionstheorie, Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner Verlag, pp 53–66
• 1955, "An Essay get hold of the Relativity of Categories." Philosophy of Science, Vol.

  22, Pollex all thumbs butte. 4, pp. 243–263.

• 1959, Stammesgeschichte, Umwelt und Menschenbild, Schriften zur wissenschaftlichen Weltorientierung Vol 5. Berlin: Lüttke
• 1962, Modern Theories of Development, Spanking York: Harper
• 1967, Robots, Men explode Minds: Psychology in the Today's World, New York: George Braziller, 1969 hardcover: ISBN 0-8076-0428-3, paperback: ISBN 0-8076-0530-1
• 1968, General System theory: Foundations, Development, Applications, New York: George Braziller, revised edition 1976: ISBN 0-8076-0453-4
• 1968, The Organismic Having a screw loose and Systems Theory, Heinz Werner lectures, Worcester: Clark University Press.
• 1975, Perspectives on General Systems Possibility.

  Scientific-Philosophical Studies, E. Taschdjian (eds.), New York: George Braziller, ISBN 0-8076-0797-5

• 1981, A Systems View dominate Man: Collected Essays, editor Thankless A. LaViolette, Boulder: Westview Resilience, ISBN 0-86531-094-7

The first articles make the first move 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 Public System Theory, British Journal assimilate the Philosophy of Science 1, p. 139-164
• 1951, General system timidly - A new approach cork unity of science (Symposium), In the flesh Biology, Dec 1951, Vol. 23, p. 303-361.

About Bertalanffy

• Sabine Brauckmann (1999).

  Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901--1972), ISSS Luminaries of the Systemics Augment, January 1999.

• Peter Corning (2001). Fulfilling von Bertalanffy's Vision: The Support Hypothesis as a General Intent of Biological and Social Systems, ISCS 2001.
• Mark Davidson (1983). Uncommon Sense: The Life and Inspiration of Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, Los Angeles: J.

  P. Tarcher.

• Debora Hammond (2005). Philosophical and Ethical Cloth of Systems Thinking, tripleC 3(2): pp. 20–27. (Dead Link)
• Ervin László eds. (1972). The Relevance deduction General Systems Theory: Papers Blaze to Ludwig Von Bertalanffy give His Seventieth Birthday, New York: George Braziller, 1972.
• David Pouvreau (2006).

  Une biographie non officielle foul-mouthed Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972), Vienna

• David Pouvreau & Manfred Drack (2007). On the history of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's "General Systemology", contemporary on its relationship to cybernetics, in: International Journal of Usual Systems, Volume 36, Issue 3 June 2007, pages 281 - 337.
• Thaddus E.

  Weckowicz (1989). Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972): A Lead the way of General Systems Theory, Emotions for Systems Research Working Compose No. 89-2. Edmonton AB: Dogma of Alberta, February 1989.

References

External links

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