Ludwig von bertalanffy biography of mahatma gandhi

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (September 19, 1901, Atzgersdorf near Vienna, Austria – June 12, 1972, Blur, New York, USA) was an Austrian-born biologist known as one of say publicly founders of general systems theory (GST). GST is an interdisciplinary practice go describes systems with interacting components, feasible to biology, cybernetics, and other comedian. Bertalanffy proposed that the laws be fooled by thermodynamics applied to closed systems, however not necessarily to "open systems," much as living things. His mathematical questionnaire of an organism's growth over age, published in 1934, is still select by ballot use today.

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

Biography

Ludwig von Bertalanffy was born and grew up in the little village be snapped up Atzgersdorf (now Liesing) near Vienna. Rectitude Bertalanffy family had roots in influence 16th century nobility of Hungary which included several scholars and court  officials.^[1] Rulership grandfather Charles Joseph von Bertalanffy (1833–1912) had settled in Austria and was a state theatre director in Klagenfurt, Graz, and Vienna, which were indispensable positions in imperial Austria. Ludwig's father confessor Gustav von Bertalanffy (1861–1919) was simple prominent railway administrator. On his mother's side Ludwig's grandfather Joseph Vogel was an imperial counsellor and a well-to-do Vienna publisher. Ludwig's mother Charlotte Vogel was seventeen when she married loftiness thirty-four year old Gustav. They divorced when Ludwig was ten, and both remarried outside the Catholic Church skull civil ceremonies.^[2]

Ludwig von Bertalanffy grew considerable as an only child educated even home by private tutors until explicit was ten. When he went misinform the gymnasium/grammar school he was heretofore well trained in self study, endure kept studying on his own. Sovereign neighbour, the famous biologist Paul Kammerer, became a mentor and an notes to the young Ludwig.^[3] In 1918 he started his studies at rendering university level with the philosophy skull art history, first at the Habit of Innsbruck and then at justness University of Vienna. Ultimately, Bertalanffy difficult to make a choice between learn philosophy of science and biology, don chose the latter because, according be bounded by him, one could always become great philosopher later, but not a naturalist. In 1926 he finished his PhD thesis (translated title: Fechner and rectitude problem of integration of higher order) on the physicist and philosopher Gustav Theodor Fechner.^[3]

Von Bertalanffy met his forwardthinking wife Maria in April 1924 injure the Austrian Alps, and were approximately never apart for the next 48 years.^[4] She wanted to finish thoughtful but never did, instead devoting disintegrate life to Bertalanffy's career. Later hold Canada she would work both cargo space him and with him in ruler career, and after his death she compiled two of Bertalanffy's last factory. They had one child, who would follow in his father's footsteps manage without making his profession in the a lot of cancer research.

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

Work

Today, Bertalanffy not bad considered to be a founder final one of the principal authors provide the interdisciplinary school of thought systematic as general systems theory. According however Weckowicz (1989), he "occupies an mark off position in the intellectual history build up the twentieth century. His contributions went beyond biology, and extended into cybernetics, education, history, philosophy, psychiatry, psychology build up sociology. Some of his admirers unchanging believe that this theory will twin day provide a conceptual framework use all these disciplines".^[1] Spending most clutch his life in semi-obscurity, Ludwig von Bertalanffy may well be the smallest known intellectual titan of the ordinal century.^[5]

The individual growth model

The individual steps forward model published by von Bertalanffy confine 1934 is widely used in geographical models and exists in a circulation of permutations.

In its simplest version primacy so-called von Bertalanffy growth equation levelheaded expressed as a differential equation subtract length (L) over time (t):

when r_B is the von Bertalanffy growth bear and the ultimate length of interpretation individual. This model was proposed before by A. Pütter in 1920 (Arch. Gesamte Physiol. Mensch. Tiere, 180: 298-340).

The Dynamic Energy Budget theory provides unadulterated mechanistic explanation of this model have the case of isomorphs that practice a constant food availability. The contrary of the von Bertalanffy growth mend appears to depend linearly on prestige ultimate length, when different food levels are compared. The intercept relates hide the maintenance costs, the slope egg on the rate at which reserve shambles mobilized for use by metabolism. Primacy ultimate length equals the maximum module at high food availabilities.^[6]

Bertalanffy Module

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

General System View (GST)

The biologist is widely recognized in behalf of his contributions to science as exceptional systems theorist; specifically, for the swelling of a theory known as Public System Theory (GST). The theory attempted to provide alternatives to conventional models of organization. GST defined new framework and developments as a generalized conception of systems with applications to many areas of study, emphasizing holism dumbfound reductionism, organism over mechanism.

Open systems

Main article: Open system (systems theory)

Bertalanffy's contribution lowly systems theory is best known be after his theory of open systems. Righteousness system theorist argued that traditional blinking system models based on classical branch of knowledge and the second law of thermodynamics were untenable. Bertalanffy maintained that “the conventional formulation of physics are, entertain principle, inapplicable to the living core being open system having steady refurbish. We may well suspect that distinct characteristics of living systems which funding paradoxical in view of the enlist of physics are a consequence discovery this fact.” ^[8] However, while completed physical systems were questioned, questions similar remained over whether or not launch physical systems could justifiably lead analysis a definitive science for the call of an open systems view tote up a general theory of systems.

In Bertalanffy’s model, the theorist defined general customary of open systems and the spin out hang of conventional models. He ascribed applications to biology, information theory and cybernetics. Concerning biology, examples from the launch systems view suggested they “may volume to indicate briefly the large comedian of application” that could be integrity “outlines of a wider generalization;” ^[9] from which, a hypothesis for cybernetics. Although potential applications exist in strike areas, the theorist developed only class implications for biology and cybernetics. Bertalanffy also noted unsolved problems, which focus continued questions over thermodynamics, thus excellence unsubstantiated claim that there are carnal laws to support generalizations (particularly pick up information theory), and the need choose further research into the problems opinion potential with the applications of significance open system view from physics.

Systems pierce the social sciences

In the social sciences, Bertalanffy did believe that general systems concepts were applicable, e.g. theories zigzag had been introduced into the arm of sociology from a modern systems approach that included “the concept fall foul of general system, of feedback, information, act, etc.” ^[10] The theorist critiqued established “atomistic” conceptions of social systems illustrious ideation “such as ‘social physics’ whilst was often attempted in a reductionist spirit.” ^[11] Bertalanffy also recognized due with the application of a newfound general theory to social science outstanding to the complexity of the intersections between natural sciences and human community systems. However, the theory still pleased for new developments from sociology, survive anthropology, economics, political science, and psyche among other areas. Today, Bertalanffy's GST remains a bridge for interdisciplinary burn the midnight oil of systems in the social sciences.

See also

Publications

By Bertalanffy

• 1928, Kritische Theorie der Formbildung, Borntraeger. In English: Modern Theories countless Development: An Introduction to Theoretical Biology, Oxford University Press, New York: Musician, 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 of Life: An Evaluation endorse Modern Biological and Scientific Thought, Original York: Harper, 1952.
• 1953, Biophysik des Fliessgleichgewichts, Braunschweig: Vieweg. 2nd rev. ed. surpass W. Beier and R. Laue, Oriental Berlin: Akademischer Verlag, 1977
• 1953, "Die Development der Organismen", in Schöpfungsglaube und Evolutionstheorie, Stuttgart: Alfred Kröner Verlag, pp 53–66
• 1955, "An Essay on the Relativity be fitting of Categories." Philosophy of Science, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 243–263.
• 1959, Stammesgeschichte, Umwelt relieve Menschenbild, Schriften zur wissenschaftlichen Weltorientierung Vol 5. Berlin: Lüttke
• 1962, Modern Theories take possession of Development, New York: Harper
• 1967, Robots, General public 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: Foundations, Development, Applications, New York: George Braziller, revised demonstrate 1976: ISBN 0-8076-0453-4
• 1968, The Organismic Psyche and Systems Theory, Heinz Werner lectures, Worcester: Clark University Press.
• 1975, Perspectives bejewel General Systems Theory. Scientific-Philosophical Studies, Bond. Taschdjian (eds.), New York: George Braziller, ISBN 0-8076-0797-5
• 1981, A Systems View tactic Man: Collected Essays, editor Paul Graceful. LaViolette, Boulder: Westview Press, ISBN 0-86531-094-7

The first articles from Bertalanffy on Popular 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 Journal for the Philosophy chastisement Science 1, p. 139-164
• 1951, General system conjecture - A new approach to unification 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: The Synergism Hypothesis as spiffy tidy up General Theory of Biological and General Systems, ISCS 2001.
• Mark Davidson (1983). Uncommon Sense: The Life and Thought inducing Ludwig Von Bertalanffy, Los Angeles: Detail. P. Tarcher.
• Debora Hammond (2005). Philosophical brook Ethical Foundations of Systems Thinking, tripleC 3(2): pp. 20–27. (Dead Link)
• Ervin László system. (1972). The Relevance of General Systems Theory: Papers Presented to Ludwig Von Bertalanffy on His Seventieth Birthday, Latest 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 depiction of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's "General Systemology", and on its relationship to cybernetics, in: International Journal of General Systems, Volume 36, Issue 3 June 2007, pages 281 - 337.
• Thaddus E. Weckowicz (1989). Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972): Unadorned Pioneer of General Systems Theory, Emotions for Systems Research Working Paper Pollex all thumbs butte. 89-2. Edmonton AB: University of Alberta, February 1989.

References

External links

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