Heinz von Foerster

Heinz von Foerster (1911–2002) was an Austrian-born American physicist, cyberneticist, mathematician, and philosopher. He studied at the Vienna University of Technology and worked as a journalist for the broadcaster Rot-Weiß-Rot from 1946 to 1948 before moving to the United States in 1949. At the University of Illinois, he founded and directed the Biological Computer Laboratory, an influential center for cybernetic and constructivist research. Von Foerster served as secretary of the Macy Conferences, was a two-time Guggenheim Fellow, and headed several scholarly organizations, including the American Society for Cybernetics. His books include “Observing Systems,” “Sicht und Einsicht,” and “Wissen und Gewissen.”