Ludwig von Bertalanffy

Ludwig von Bertalanffy
Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1926
Born	(1901-09-19)19 September 1901 Atzgersdorf near Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died	12 June 1972(1972-06-12) (aged 70) Buffalo, New York, US
Alma mater	University of Vienna
Known for	General systems theory Von Bertalanffy function
Scientific career
Fields	Biology and systems theory
Thesis	Fechner und das Problem der Integration höherer Ordnung (Fechner and the Problem of Higher-Order Integration)  (1926)

Karl Ludwig von Bertalanffy (19 September 1901 – 12 June 1972) was an Austrian biologist known as one of the founders of general systems theory (GST). This 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 might be 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,^[1] is still in use today.

Bertalanffy grew up in Austria and subsequently worked in Vienna, London, Canada, and the United States.