On the history of Ludwig von Bertalanffy’s “General Systemology”, and on its relationship to cybernetics – part III: convergences and divergences

This is the third part of a series tracing the history of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's 'General Systemology' and its relationship to cybernetics. Bertalanffy's general system theory and cybernetics are often treated as interchangeable, and this article sets out to clarify how they actually differ and where they converge. The authors compare Bertalanffy's ideas with developments in cybernetics, and show that although Bertalanffy engaged directly with cybernetics early on, his own 'perspectivist' theory of knowledge remains relevant to what is now called second-order cybernetics. They also examine the role of W. Ross Ashby as a figure connecting general system theory and cybernetics, and argue that the organismic and cybernetic strands of systems research are complementary parts of a broader, unified field of systemology. Credits: Drack, M., & Pouvreau, D. (2015). On the history of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's "General Systemology", and on its relationship to cybernetics – part III: convergences and divergences. International Journal of General Systems, 44(5), 523–571. http://doi.org/10.1080/03081079.2014.1000642