Ludwig von Bertalanffy

General Systems Theory
20th century
Birth:September 19, 1901, Vienna, AustriaDeath:June 12, 1972, New York, USA
Main interests:Biology and systems theory
General System Theory (GST)
Open systems

Norbert Wiener

November 26, 1894, Columbia, Missouri – March 18, 1964, Stockholm Sweden
American
applied mathematician
stochastic and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems
founder of cybernetics, a field that formalizes the notion of feedback
the first child of Leo Wiener, a Polish-Jewish immigrant, and Bertha Kahn, of German-Jewish descent
Wiener became a child prodigy
After the war, Wiener was unable to secure a position at Harvard
because he was Jewish
During World War II
his work on the automatic aiming and firing of anti-aircraft guns
led Wiener to communication theory and eventually to formulate
cybernetics
Warren Sturgis McCulloch
Walter Pitts
researchers in neuropsychology and the mathematics and biophysics of the nervous system
Wiener
shared his theories and findings with other researchers, and credited the contributions of others
included Soviet researchers and their findings
Wiener's connections with them placed him under suspicion during the Cold War.
India
declined an invitation to join the Manhattan Project