[1]Principia Cybernetica Web

                           F. Heylighen: Biographical Sketch

   [FrancisSea.gif] Francis [2]Heylighen was born in 1960 in Vilvoorde, near
   [3]Brussels, in [4]Belgium. He received his university degree in mathematical
   physics in 1982, and his Ph.D. in 1987, both "summa cum laude", from the [5]Free
   University of Brussels (VUB). He is presently a tenured research professor at the
   VUB, where he is co-director of the [6]Center "Leo Apostel" for transdisciplinary
   research.

   He has been working at the VUB since 1982, first on the foundations of physics
   (quantum mechanics and relativity theory). The focus of his research then turned
   to the [7]self-organization or [8]evolution of [9]complexity, which he studies
   from a [10]cybernetic viewpoint. He has worked in particular on the [11]evolution
   of knowledge (including [12]memes) and the creation of new concepts and models.
   More recently, he has extended the underlying principles to understand the
   evolution of society, and its implications for the [13]future of humanity.
   Together with J. [14]Bernheim, he has shown how [15]progress can be objectively
   measured by using socio-economic indicators of [16]happiness in different
   nations. The theoretical framework being developed by Heylighen intends to
   integrate knowledge from different disciplines into an encompassing "[17]world
   view".

   Some of the implications of this framework have been empirically tested, in the
   domains of psychology and [externallink.GIF] [18]linguistics. Together with his
   PhD student [externallink.GIF] [19]Johan Bollen (now Assistant Professor at Old
   Dominion University), Dr. Heylighen has applied this framework by implementing a
   [20]self-organizing knowledge web, that "learns" new concepts and associations
   from the way it is used. As such, it forms a simple model for a future
   intelligent computer network, the "[21]global brain".

   To study the technological and social implications of this vision, in 1996 Dr.
   Heylighen founded the "[22]Global Brain Group", an international discussion forum
   that groups most of the scientists who have worked on this issue. Since 1990, he
   is also an editor of the "[23]Principia Cybernetica Project", an international
   organization which attempts to consensually develop a cybernetic philosophical
   system, with the help of computer technologies for the communication and
   integration of knowledge. The Project's [24]website, which is administered and
   largely implemented by Heylighen, was created in 1993 as one of the first large,
   interactive webs in the world.

   Dr. Heylighen has authored over 80 scientific [25]publications, in a variety of
   disciplines, including a monograph and four edited books. He performs scientific
   functions, including editor of the [26]Principia Cybernetica Newsletter, Fellow
   of the [externallink.GIF] [27]World Academy of Art and Science, and scientific
   advisor for the software company " [externallink.GIF] [28]Global Wisdom". He is a
   member of the editorial boards of the [externallink.GIF] [29]Journal of Memetics,
   which he co-founded in 1996, the [externallink.GIF] [30]Journal of Happiness
   Studies, and the journals [externallink.GIF] [31]Informatica and
   [externallink.GIF] [32]Entropy. He has been a referee for various scientific
   journals, including the International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, Adaptive
   Behavior, and Foundations of Science.

   As an expert on cybernetics and systems, Francis Heylighen has been invited to
   write articles on this domain for several leading encyclopedias and dictionaries.
   He has organized and chaired many international [33]conferences, symposia and
   seminars. As a leading thinker on the future of the information society, he is
   regularly interviewed by the media and invited to lecture in different countries.
   Articles about his work have appeared in newspapers and magazines around the
   world, including [externallink.GIF] [34]New Scientist, [externallink.GIF]
   [35]Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, [externallink.GIF] [36]Die Zeit,
   [externallink.GIF] [37]Le Monde, and the [externallink.GIF] [38]Washington Post.
     ____________________________________________________________________________

   [39]Copyright© 2003 Principia Cybernetica - [40]Referencing this page

   Author

   Date
   Feb 19, 2003 (modified)
   Aug 1993 (created)

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                              [45]About Francis Heylighen

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References

   1. LYNXIMGMAP:http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYBIO.html#PCP-header
   2. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
   3. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BRUSSEL.html
   4. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BELGCUL.html
   5. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/VUBULB.html
   6. http://www.vub.ac.be/CLEA/
   7. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SELFORG.html
   8. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/EVOLUT.html
   9. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/COMPLEXI.html
  10. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CYBSYSTH.html
  11. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/EVOLEPIST.html
  12. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MEMES.html
  13. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/FUTEVOL.html
  14. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BERNHEIM.html
  15. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PROGRESS.html
  16. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HAPPINES.html
  17. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/WORLVIEW.html
  18. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Papers/Formality.pdf
  19. http://www.cs.odu.edu/~jbollen/
  20. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/LEARNWEB.html
  21. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SUPORGLI.html
  22. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/GBRAIN-L.html
  23. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MASTHEAD.html
  24. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html
  25. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/Papers/PapersFH2.html
  26. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PCPNEWS.html
  27. http://www.worldacademy.org/intro.htm
  28. http://www.globalwisdom.org/
  29. http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit/
  30. http://www.kluweronline.com/issn/1389-4978/
  31. http://orca.st.usm.edu/informatica/
  32. http://www.mdpi.org/entropy/
  33. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ACT.html
  34. http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/ai/globalbrain.jsp
  35. http://www.goertzel.org/benzine/heylighenProfile.htm
  36. http://www.zeit.de/2001/40/Media/200140_global_brain.html
  37. http://interactif.lemonde.fr/article/0,5611,2857--229514-0,FF.html
  38. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43363-2002Sep5?language=printer
  39. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/COPYR.html
  40. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/REFERPCP.html
  41. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html
  42. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ORG.html
  43. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/CONTR.html
  44. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/PEOPLE.html
  45. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYL.html
  46. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYPHDS.html
  47. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/THESIS.html
  48. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/MAKANNOT.html
  49. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/hypercard.acgi$annotform?

[USEMAP]
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYBIO.html#PCP-header
   1. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/DEFAULT.html
   2. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HOWWEB.html
   3. http://pcp.lanl.gov/HEYBIO.html
   4. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/HEYBIO.html
   5. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SERVER.html
   6. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/hypercard.acgi$randomlink?searchstring=.html
   7. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/RECENT.html
   8. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/TOC.html#HEYBIO
   9. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/SEARCH.html