A Systems View of Man

by Ludwig Von Bertalanffy

What does it mean to be human? What distinguishes man from other animals? � oeMan's creation of the universe of symbols, � replies Ludwig von Bertalanffy. � oeMan lives in a world not of things, but of symbols.� Dr. von Bertalanffy explores the historical development of symbolic language, examines the nature of human values, and shows how a current breakdown of symbolic universes contributes to the feeling of meaninglessness so prevalent in modern society. He notes that a major portion of mankind's aggressive acts are not biologically induced but arise within symbolic frameworks.

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (September 19, 1901, Atzgersdorf near Vienna – June 12, 1972, Buffalo, New York) was an Austrian-born biologist known as one of the founders of general systems theory (GST). GST is an interdisciplinary practice that describes systems with interacting components, applicable to biology, cybernetics, and other fields. Bertalanffy proposed that the classical laws of thermodynamics applied to closed systems, but not necessarily to "open systems," such as living things. His mathematical model of an organism's growth over time, published in 1934, is still in use today.
Von Bertalanffy grew up in Austria and subsequently worked in Vienna, London, Canada and the USA.