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Quotes from The systems view of the world — Ervin László

1932–2026 Hungary

← All quotes by Ervin László

4 quotes

Cultures are, in the final analysis, value-guided systems.

The systems view of the world (1996)

The worldview of the classical sciences conceptualized nature as a giant machine composed of intricate but replaceable machine-like parts. The new systems sciences look at nature as an organism endowed with irreplaceable elements and an innate but non-deterministic purpose for choice, for flow, for spontaneity.

The systems view of the world (1996)

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)

Attribution

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