Page "Systems theory" Paragraph 4

In this respect, with the possibility of misinterpretations, von Bertalanffy believed a general theory of systems " should be an important regulative device in science ," to guard against superficial analogies that " are useless in science and harmful in their practical consequences.

" Others remain closer to the direct systems concepts developed by the original theorists.

For example, Ilya Prigogine, of the Center for Complex Quantum Systems at the University of Texas, Austin, has studied emergent properties, suggesting that they offer analogues for living systems.

The theories of autopoiesis of Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana are a further development in this field.

Important names in contemporary systems science include Russell Ackoff, Béla H. Bánáthy, Anthony Stafford Beer, Peter Checkland, Robert L. Flood, Fritjof Capra, Michael C. Jackson, Edgar Morin and Werner Ulrich, among others.