Heinz von Foerster and the Self-Reflexive Turn

This article places the notion of self-reflexivity at the central focus on the neglected and insufficiently received parts of Heinz von Foerster's work. This article provides a sketch of the comprehensive research program which Heinz von Foerster developed in the course of the 1960s and 1970s and which runs under the label of second-order cybernetics. Special emphasis is placed on the research-driven character of this research program which was revolutionary in the context of the 1970s and which still can be considered as revolutionary today. Towards the end of this article a very brief outline will be presented on the new science of cybernetics (NSC) which can be considered as a re-invention of second-order cybernetics with self-reflexivity as its main focus.