Heinz von Foerster (Vienna on November 13rd, 1911 - Pescadero, California on October 2nd, 2002) is a scientist located at crossed Physique and Philosophie. It was one of the founders of the Cybernétique of second order and an important contributor of the epistemology constructivist. It is also known for its interest for the musical Informatique and the magic.

Von Foerster studies physics with technical Université of Vienna and with the University of Breslau in the Thirties. It is influenced by the Cercle of Vienna and by Ludwig Wittgenstein. In 1938, he works in a research laboratory for Siemens and, of 1939 to 1945, he carries out research tasks for GEMMATED with Berlin. From 1945 to 1949, von Foerster takes part in Vienna with a radio of the American forces. He interviews artists and scientists of which the psychiatrist Viktor Frankl. This last the assistance to publish The Memory - has Quantum Mechanical Treatise .

He emigrates with the E. - U. in February 1949 and becomes professor with the Université of Illinois with Urbana-Champaign. On its arrival in the United States, it is invited by the neurologist Warren McCulloch as from March 1949 to take part in famous the Conférences Macy of which he quickly becomes the secretary. In the Fifties, it leaves to study biology with the Mexico for six months with Arturo Rosenblueth.

In 1958, it forms the Biological Computer Lab , to study the similarity in terms cynernetic between the Biologie and the electronic . It directs the BCL until 1975.

In 1976, von Foerster off binds to the Mental Research Institute Palo Alto at the time of the second conference to the memory of Donald D. Jackson where it makes a talk on the range of the bases of the radical constructivism on psychotherapy.

Heinz von Foerster worked jointly with William Ross Ashby, John von Neumann, Norbert Wiener, Humberto Maturana, Francisco Varela, Ernst von Glasersfeld, Gordon Pask, Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead, among much of others. He was the editor of the Cybernetique (1949-1953) in four volumes, the author of more than 100 publications and pronounced conferences in the whole world until a very advanced age.

He was married at May von Foerster.

See too

External bonds

• Stanford Humanities Review Interview

• The Heinz von Foerster Page