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Ervin László Quotes

1932–2026 Hungary

Ervin László (12 May 1932 – 29 June 2026) was a Hungarian philosopher of science, systems theorist, integral theorist, originally a classical pianist. He published about 75 books and over 400 papers, and was editor of World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution.

Hungary
Philosophers

Random Ervin László quote

23 quotes

In systems such as contemporary society, evolution is always a promise and devolution is always a threat. No system comes with a guarantee of ongoing evolution. The challenge is real. To ignore it is to play dice with all we have. To accept it is not to play God—it is to become an instrument of whatever divine purpose infuses the universe.

The systems view of the world (1996)

The classical worldview was atomistic and individualistic; it viewed objects as separate from their environments and people as separate from each other and from their surroundings. The systems view perceives connections and communications between people, and between people and nature, and emphasizes community and integrity in both the natural and the human world.

The systems view of the world (1996)

Imagine a universe made up not of things in space and in time, but of patterned flows extending throughout its reaches. What flows is a mysterious, nonindividualized something we call energy. It flows along pathways structured by the metric of integral space-time. It flows smoothly, without crinks or wrinkles, over vast stretches of this cosmic matrix, and it becomes contorted in some regions.

Introduction to Systems Philosophy (1972)

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Ervin László (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.