von Bertalanffy, Ludwig

Introduction

Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1901–1972) is considered to be the father of open systems theory, the foundation for general systems theory (Pouvreau 2009; Weckowicz 2000). Although a biologist and philosopher by trade, von Bertalanffy took issue with the scientific movement of logical positivists during his time of training (Pouvreau 2009). Additionally, von Bertalanffy was significantly interested in the study of humanities and his work attempted to bridge the gap between the fields of natural science and humanities (Pouvreau 2009; Weckowicz 2000). This effort led to the development of his theoretical view of human personality as an actively striving system trying to achieve goals created by symbolic processes.

Career

(Karl) Ludwig von Bertalanffy was born into a family of notable scholars (Pouvreau 2009; Weckowicz 2000). Due to his intellectual background and private education, von Bertalanffy went to two universities, the University of Innsbruck and the University of Vienna...