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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.

— Ervin László The systems view of the world (1996)

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More quotes by Ervin László

We are living in a time of dissent, upheaval, revolutions and struggle, frequently aimed at mutual destruction.

Systems at each level of integration function as wholes with respect to their parts and parts with respect to higher level wholes.

Introduction to Systems Philosophy (1972)

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

The systems view of the world (1996)

Opposed to atomism and behaviorism, the systems view of man links him again with the world he lives in, for he is seen as emerging in that world and reflecting its general character.

Introduction to Systems Philosophy (1972)

Each system has a speciﬁc structure made up of certain maintained relationships among its parts, and manifests irreducible characteristics of its own.

Introduction to Systems Philosophy (1972)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Ervin László (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.