BCSSS

International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics

2nd Edition, as published by Charles François 2004 Presented by the Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science Vienna for public access.

About

The International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics was first edited and published by the system scientist Charles François in 1997. The online version that is provided here was based on the 2nd edition in 2004. It was uploaded and gifted to the center by ASC president Michael Lissack in 2019; the BCSSS purchased the rights for the re-publication of this volume in 200?. In 2018, the original editor expressed his wish to pass on the stewardship over the maintenance and further development of the encyclopedia to the Bertalanffy Center. In the future, the BCSSS seeks to further develop the encyclopedia by open collaboration within the systems sciences. Until the center has found and been able to implement an adequate technical solution for this, the static website is made accessible for the benefit of public scholarship and education.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

UMWELT LEHRE 1)4)

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The specific knowledge any living system acquires about its ambient or environment (Umwelt, in German).

"Umwelt Lehre" leads to specific "window perception", different for each living system.

This concept was introduced by J.von UEXKÜLL (see 1979). According to L.von BERTALANFFY: "It essentially amounts to the statement that, from the great cake of reality, every living organism cuts a slice, which it can perceive and to which it can react owing to its psycho-physical organization, that is the structure of receptor and effector organs" (1962, p. 73).

As stated by BERTALANFFY, von UEXKÜLL and KRISZAT have presented fascinating pictures how the same section of nature may look as seen by various animals. (see 1934)

"According to von UEXKÜLL's expression, any organism, so to speak, cuts out from the multiplicity of surrounding objects a small number of characteristics to which it reacts and whose ensemble forms its "ambient" (Umwelt). All the rest is non-existent for that particular organism" (1962, p.73).

This Umwelt concept may seemingly be applied also to social systems, wherein a consensual psycho-mental Umwelt becomes absolutely dominant, and blinds the members of the group to anything else.

Categories

  • 1) General information
  • 2) Methodology or model
  • 3) Epistemology, ontology and semantics
  • 4) Human sciences
  • 5) Discipline oriented

Publisher

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science(2020).

To cite this page, please use the following information:

Bertalanffy Center for the Study of Systems Science (2020). Title of the entry. In Charles François (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics (2). Retrieved from www.systemspedia.org/[full/url]

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