Frederic Vester
Encyclopedia
Frederic Vester was a German
biochemist
, and an expert in the field of ecology
.
, and studied chemistry
at the universities of Mainz, Paris
and Hamburg
. From 1955 to 1957 he was postdoctoral fellow at Yale University
and Cambridge
. From 1957 to 1966 he worked at Saarland University
, Saarbrücken
, and from 1969 he worked in Munich
, first at the Max Planck Institute. In 1970 he founded the private Munich-based Frederic Vester Studiengruppe für Biologie und Umwelt GmbH ("Frederic Vester Study Group for Biology and Environment, Ltd.), renamed Frederic Vester GmbH ("Frederic Vester, Ltd.") after his death.
From 1982 to 1989 he was a professor
at the Bundeswehr University Munich, and from 1989 to 1991 he was Professor for Applied Economics
at the Hochschule St. Gallen
, Switzerland
. Vester's ideas influenced the formation of the environmental movement
and the Green Party in Germany. He was a member of the Club of Rome
. He was married to Anne Vester. The couple had three children and six grandchildren.
and system
ic ideas and complexity
. Central ideas of network thinking include viewing a system as a network of interrelated effects, leading to emergent
behavior of the system as a whole. These networks can be described by using protocols, mathematical networks, computer software, so that even someone with the most basic understanding of networks will see relations, including positive and negative feedback loops. Simulation
s of systemic networks can help to decide the long-term effects of singular measure
s.
, UNESCO
and other organizations.
Vester is also the author of the software tool Sensitivity model and of several cybernetic games:
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
biochemist
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, and an expert in the field of ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
.
Biography
Vester was born in SaarbrückenSaarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, and studied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the universities of Mainz, Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
and Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
. From 1955 to 1957 he was postdoctoral fellow at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. From 1957 to 1966 he worked at Saarland University
Saarland University
Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...
, Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, and from 1969 he worked in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, first at the Max Planck Institute. In 1970 he founded the private Munich-based Frederic Vester Studiengruppe für Biologie und Umwelt GmbH ("Frederic Vester Study Group for Biology and Environment, Ltd.), renamed Frederic Vester GmbH ("Frederic Vester, Ltd.") after his death.
From 1982 to 1989 he was a professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Bundeswehr University Munich, and from 1989 to 1991 he was Professor for Applied Economics
Applied economics
Applied economics is a term that refers to the application of economic theory and analysis. While not a field of economics, it is typically characterized by the application of economic theory and econometrics to address practical issues in a range of fields including labour economics, industrial...
at the Hochschule St. Gallen
University of St. Gallen
The University of St. Gallen is a public research university located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is specialized in the fields of business administration, economics, law, and international affairs. The University of St. Gallen is also known as HSG, which is an abbreviation of its former German...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Vester's ideas influenced the formation of the environmental movement
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
and the Green Party in Germany. He was a member of the Club of Rome
Club of Rome
The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. Founded in 1968 at Accademia dei Lincei in Rome, Italy, the CoR describes itself as "a group of world citizens, sharing a common concern for the future of humanity." It consists of current and...
. He was married to Anne Vester. The couple had three children and six grandchildren.
Networked Thinking
Vester was known as pioneer of networked thinking, a combination of cyberneticCybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
and system
System
System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
ic ideas and complexity
Complexity
In general usage, complexity tends to be used to characterize something with many parts in intricate arrangement. The study of these complex linkages is the main goal of complex systems theory. In science there are at this time a number of approaches to characterizing complexity, many of which are...
. Central ideas of network thinking include viewing a system as a network of interrelated effects, leading to emergent
Emergence
In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. Emergence is central to the theories of integrative levels and of complex systems....
behavior of the system as a whole. These networks can be described by using protocols, mathematical networks, computer software, so that even someone with the most basic understanding of networks will see relations, including positive and negative feedback loops. Simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
s of systemic networks can help to decide the long-term effects of singular measure
Singular measure
In mathematics, two positive measures μ and ν defined on a measurable space are called singular if there exist two disjoint sets A and B in Σ whose union is Ω such that μ is zero on all measurable subsets of B while ν is zero on all measurable subsets of A...
s.
The Sensitivity Model
Vester's Sensitivity Model combines these ideas, and has been used since the 1980s in studies by FordFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and other organizations.
Publications
Most of Vesters books were published in German as well as in other languages, though seldom in English. A list of his works includes:- 1976, Ballungsgebiete in der Krise (Urban Systems in Crisis)
- 1982, Das kybernetische Zeitalter (The Cybernetic Age)
- 1985, Ein Baum ist mehr als ein Baum (A Tree is More than a Tree)
- 1990, Leitmotiv vernetztes Denken (Key Themes of Networked Thinking)
- 1991, Ausfahrt Zukunft: Strategien für den Verkehr von morgen (Gateway Future: Strategies for the Transportation of Tomorrow)
- 1999, Crashtest Mobilität (Crash Test Mobility)
- 2002, Aufmerksamkeit im Unterricht (Attentiveness in the Classroom)
- 2002, Neuland des Denkens (Uncharted Territory of Thought)
- 2002, Denken, Lernen, Vergessen (Thinking, Learning, Forgetting)
- 2002, Phänomen Stress (Phenomenon Stress)
- 2002, Unsere Welt - ein vernetztes System (Our World - A Networked System)
- 2007, The Art of interconnected Thinking. Ideas and Tools for Tackling Complexity (MCB) ISBN 3-939-31405-6
Vester is also the author of the software tool Sensitivity model and of several cybernetic games:
- 1997 Ecopolicy – das kybernetische Strategiespiel (Ecopolicy - The Cybernetic Strategy Game)
- 1980/1996 Ökolopoly. Ein kybernetisches Umweltspiel (Ecopoly - A Cybernetic Environment Game)