Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy fue un biólogo nacido en Austria, reconocido como uno de los fundadores de la teoría general de sistemas (GST). Su trabajo se centró en la exploración de sistemas abiertos, como los organismos vivos, proponiendo que las leyes termodinámicas clásicas se aplican a sistemas cerrados pero no necesariamente a los abiertos. El modelo matemático de Bertalanffy sobre el crecimiento de los organismos se mantiene en uso hoy en día. Su enfoque interdisciplinario conectó la biología con la cibernética y otros campos, sentando las bases para nuevas comprensiones de las interacciones complejas.
Foundations, Development, Applications
Bertalanffy’s selected writings on his theory of laws applicable to virtually every scientific field. This conceptual approach has had a profound impact on biology, economics, psychology, and demography, with new relevancies today. The new foreword by University of Vienna system theory professor, Wolfgang Hofkirchner, and Centre for Systems Philosophy director, David Rousseau, discusses the theory’s contemporary applications.
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Le nouveau paradigme systémique initié par la théorie générale des systèmes est à l'origine de la nouvelle conception de l'univers selon laquelle matière et esprit sont perçus comme des éléments indissociables d'un vaste processus d'évolution non linéaire. La théorie générale des systèmes est aujourd'hui devenue une source d'inspiration fondamentale pour toute approche non réductionniste et non mécaniciste de l'ensemble des phénomènes du vivant. La réédition de ce classique de l'histoire des idées scientifiques permet de mesurer l'ampleur de la révolution scientifique dont L.V. Bertalanffy jeta les bases voici près de cinquante ans.