Death of Anatol Rapoport

Citation

(2008), "Death of Anatol Rapoport", Kybernetes, Vol. 37 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/k.2008.06737aab.003

Death of Anatol Rapoport

Death of Anatol Rapoport

The following report about the contributions of Anatol Rapoport to researches in many areas of scholarship has been compiled by Dr A.M. Andrew for this journal and the World Organisation of Systems and Cybernetics (WOSC) web site:

Anatol Rapoport died on 20 January 2007, aged 95. A commemoration was held on: 20 May, in the University of Toronto.

Anatol Rapoport, Russian-born mathematician and biologist, is known for his research work in mathematical psychology, mathematical theories of social interaction, general systems theory, probabilistic theory of graphs and networks, game theory, and semantics. He has written numerous books and articles extending these areas into studies of psychological conflict in debates as large as world politics and disarmament.

Biographies of Rapoport can be found in the Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatol_Rapoport and on the Cybcom web site: www.gwu.edu/,asc/people/Rapoport/rapoport.html from which the above excerpt was taken, as well as on the ISSS web site: www.isss.org/lumrapo.htm. The following excerpt is from the ISSS source:

Author of approximately 500 publications, Rapoport has spearheaded many scientific innovations, including the application of mathematical methods, first to biology and later to the social sciences.

Moreover, he is one of the rare thinkers who have contributed significantly to “marrying” philosophy and science. The originality and rigor of his thinking make his theoretical oeuvre extraordinarily resourceful, as well as unique in its ethical substance and esthetical appeal. Rapoport operates from a multidimensional background of experience and studies (see the following CV), embodying a deep humanistic commitment (Rapoport, 1994), and a profoundly systemic thinking.

The excerpt is in the present tense because written before his death. The reference is to his book: Strategy and Conscience and other publications also have a humanistic aspect, especially with regard to the Prisoner's Dilemma model of conflict, The web entry gives a very full CV, of which a surprising feature is that he initially studied music before turning to mathematics. He gave a memorable keynote address with the title: “Cybernetics as a link between holistic and analytic theories of cognition” to the sixth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research (EMCSR) in Vienna in 1982 (unfortunately only shown by title in the proceedings). The world has lost a very fine scholar and person.