Rudolf Felix Geyer (October 13, 1933 – August 23, 2020) was a Dutch sociologist and cybernetician, former head of the methodology section of SISWO (Interuniversity Institute for Social Science Research) at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

, known for his work in the fields of

Social alienation Social alienation is a person's feeling of disconnection from a group whether friends, family, or wider society with which the individual has an affiliation. Such alienation has been described as "a condition in social relationships reflected b ...

, and on

sociocybernetics Sociocybernetics is an interdisciplinary science between sociology and general systems theory and cybernetics. The International Sociological Association has a specialist research committee in the area – RC51 – which publishes the (electro ...

Biography

Born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

, Geyer began studies in geology at the

in 1951 and received his BA in 1953. He continued with studies in sociology and received his MA at the University of Amsterdam in 1961. Later in 1980 he received his PhD under Hiddo M. Jolles with a thesis, entitled "Alienation theories : a general systems approach". In the 1960s Geyer started working in industry, where he worked in the fields of marketing and labor market research. In 1968 he joined the Interuniversity Institute for Social Science Research (SISWO) at the University of Amsterdam, where he became head of the methodology section. He held this position until his retirement in 1998. In 1970 Geyer was one of the co-founders of the Dutch Systems Group, and served on its board. Geyer died on August 23, 2020, at the age of 86.Bernd R. Hornung
In Memoriam: Felix Geyer, 1933–2020
in: ''RC51 Newsletter'', Issue 40, October 2020.

Selected publications

* Geyer, R. Felix. ''Alienation Theories: A general systems approach.'' Pergamon Press, 1980. * Geyer, Felix, and Johannes van der Zouwen, eds. ''Sociocybernetic Paradoxes: observation, control and evolution of self-steering systems.'' Sage, 1986. * Geyer, R. Felix. ''Alienation, ethnicity, and postmodernism.'' No. 116. Praeger, 1996. * Geyer, R. Felix, and David R. Schweitzer, eds. ''Alienation, problems of meaning, theory, and method.'' Routledge/Thoemms Press, 1981. * Geyer, R. Felix, and Johannes van der Zouwen, eds. ''Sociocybernetics: Complexity, autopoiesis, and observation of social systems.'' No. 132. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Articles a selection * Felix Geyer and Johannes van der Zouwen.
Sociocybernetics
in: ''Handbook of Cybernetics'' (C.V. Negoita, ed.). New York: Marcel Dekker, 1992, pp. 95–124. * Felix Geyer.

. In: ''Kybernetes''. 24(4):6-32, 1995. Copyright MCB University Press1995 * Felix Geyer.
Sociocybernetics
In: ''Kybernetes'', Vol. 31 No. 7/8, 2002, pp. 1021–1042.

References

External links

Felix Geyer
at the University of Zaragoza {{DEFAULTSORT:Geyer, Felix 1933 births 2020 deaths Dutch sociologists Dutch systems scientists Cyberneticists University of Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of the University of Amsterdam Scientists from Amsterdam 20th-century Dutch scientists 21st-century Dutch scientists