Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Von Bertalanffy, Ludwig
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Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901 - 1972) was an Austrian biologist who first proposed the basic tenets of general systems theory and applied the system methodology to the social sciences. In General Systems Theory (1968), he reacted against reductionism and emphasized that real systems are open to, and interact with, their environments, and that they can acquire qualitatively new properties through emergence, resulting in continual evolution. Energy and entropy play important roles in general systems theory. The general system shows a kind of self-regulation comparable to the behavior of an organic system. For example, if you observe the energy flow of an open system, it tends towards a steady state because that phase corresponds to a minimum entropy production enduring the systems conditions. The minimum production stabilizes the system structure and the dynamics of storages and flows. Thus, the system will achieve the dissipative state that configures a structure since it maintains itself in a state far from equilibrium. The same concepts and principles of organization underlie different disciplines (physics, biology, technology, sociology, etc.), providing a basis for their unification.
Further Readings
Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901-1972) (International Society for the Systems Sciences)
Systems Theory (Principia Cybernetica Web)
Bertalanffy Homepage (Bertalanffy.org)
