End of an experiential world

Ernst von Glasersfeld, an internationally influential cybernetician, originator and developer of Radical Constructivism, died last Friday (Nov. 12th at 7 am EST) at the age of 93 in Amherst (Massachusetts) or, in his own words "entered the eternal skislopes". An obituary will follow on the pages of OIKOS (http://www.oikos.org/psicen.htm) and ASC (http://www.asc-cybernetics.org).

Our acquaintance began in Spring 1985: Ernst called me from Athens (Georgia) on my private phone number in Zürich, Universitätstrasse 17. He had received my "Research Report Nr. 1". From here, during the following 25 years, a beautiful relationship developed, during which he became my best friend and my ideal master.

In a certain sense I also died now with him but at the same time also "entered a new lifeslope".

One year ago, right on the same day, von Glasersfeld had received in the City Hall of Vienna the medal of honour in gold of the city of Vienna and given in the Festsaal the opening talk of the 4th Intern. Heinz von Förster-Congress.

"Constructivism makes life so much nicer and easier because you lose the urge to be right" he said in 2005 at a congress in Vienna; would be nice if we could transfer this to economy, politics, education and everyday life: away from the usual eristic dialectics towards more and more dialogue.