Heinz von Foerster

Biography

Heinz von Foerster was a renowned Austrian-American scientist and polymath, whose work in physics and philosophy laid the foundation for second-order cybernetics. A twice Guggenheim fellow, he published influential papers on population growth, cognition, and artificial intelligence, earning him recognition as one of the most consequential thinkers in the history of cybernetics. He co-founded the Biological Computer Laboratory and played a key role in developing the first parallel computer, Numa-Rete.