James Grier Miller (19167 November 2002,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
) was an American
biologist
A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...
, a pioneer of
systems science and
academic administrator
Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint responsibilities. Some t ...
, who originated the modern use of the term "
behavioral science
Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...
", founded and directed the multi-disciplinary
Mental Health Research Institute at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
,
[ G.A. Swanson]
"James Grier Miller (1916-)"
on ISSS.org. Last modified: 2007/06/10. Accessed 3 November 2008. and originated the
living systems theory
Living systems are open self-organizing life forms that interact with their environment. These systems are maintained by flows of information, energy and matter.
In the last few decades, some scientists have proposed that a general living sys ...
.
Biography
Miller received his A.B. summa cum laude in 1937, an A.M. in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...
in 1938, an M.D. cum laude in 1942, and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1943, all from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
where he was also a junior fellow of the
Society of Fellows
The Society of Fellows is a group of scholars selected at the beginnings of their careers by Harvard University for their potential to advance academic wisdom, upon whom are bestowed distinctive opportunities to foster their individual and intell ...
. Following military service in World War II, he served as Chief of the newly formed Clinical Psychology section of the
Veteran's Administration
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers and ...
central office in Washington.
[Bernard W. Agranoff (2003)]
"James Grier Miller, 1916–2002 : Obituary"
In: ''Neuropsychopharmacology (2003) 28, 2221–2222.
Having served on the faculty at Harvard, in 1948 he accepted the position of Chairman of the Department of Psychology at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
, which he held until 1955. From 1955 to 1967 he directed the multi-disciplinary Mental Health Research Institute at the University of Michigan, leaving in 1967 to pursue an administrative career, first as provost of the newly founded
Cleveland State University, and then in 1973 as president of the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one o ...
, from which position he retired in 1980.
He was a fellow or member of numerous scientific and professional societies. He served as president of the
Society for General Systems Research
The International Society for the Systems Sciences (ISSS) is a worldwide organization for systems sciences. The overall purpose of the ISSS is:
:"to promote the development of conceptual frameworks based on general system theory, as well as their ...
(SGSR) succeeding
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s.
She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard C ...
in 1973. He was a founder and the first head of
EDUCOM (the Interuniversity Communications Council). He also had been a fellow of the
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) is an independent international research institute located in Laxenburg, near Vienna, in Austria. Through its research programs and initiatives, the institute conducts policy-o ...
(IIASA) in Vienna. For more than 30 years Miller was editor of the Journal ''
Behavioral Science
Behavioral sciences explore the cognitive processes within organisms and the behavioral interactions between organisms in the natural world. It involves the systematic analysis and investigation of human and animal behavior through naturalistic o ...
''.
See also
*
Living systems theory
Living systems are open self-organizing life forms that interact with their environment. These systems are maintained by flows of information, energy and matter.
In the last few decades, some scientists have proposed that a general living sys ...
*
Systems theory
Systems theory is the interdisciplinary study of systems, i.e. cohesive groups of interrelated, interdependent components that can be natural or human-made. Every system has causal boundaries, is influenced by its context, defined by its structu ...
*
Wikiversity
Wikiversity is a Wikimedia Foundation project that supports learning communities, their learning materials, and resulting activities. It differs from Wikipedia in that it offers tutorials and other materials for the fostering of learning, rather ...
Publications
Miller has written or co-authored nine books and published more than 100 scientific and scholarly articles.
* 1942. ''Unconsciousness''. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
* 1948. ''OSS Assessment Staff. Assessment of men''. New York: Rinehart & Company.
* 1950. ''Experiments in social process''. (Ed.) New York: Mc Graw-Hill.
* 1959. ''The pharmacology and clinical usefulness of carisoprodol''. (Ed.) Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
* 1960. ''Drugs and behavior''. (Ed.) with L. Uhr. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
* 1978. ''Living systems''. New York: Mc Graw-Hill.
* 1978
Living Systems. The Basic Concepts* 1989. ''Measurement and interpretations in accounting: a living systems theory approach''. With
G.A. Swanson, New York: Quorum Books.
References
Further reading
* Bernard W. Agranoff (2003)
"James Grier Miller, 1916–2002 : Obituary" In: ''Neuropsychopharmacology (2003) 28, 2221–2222.
*
Debora Hammond
Debora Hammond (born 1951) is an American historian of science, former Provost and Professor Emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies of the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at the Sonoma State University. She is known as author of the 2003 book ' ...
and
Jennifer Wilby
Jennifer M. Wilby (born 1953) is an American and UK management scientist, and past director of the Centre for Systems Studies, and a senior lecturer and researcher in management systems and sciences in The Business School, University of Hull. Sh ...
(2006). "The life and work of James Grier Miller". In: ''Systems Research and Behavioral Science''. Volume 23, Issue 3, Pages 429 - 435.
*
G.A. Swanson"James Grier Miller (1916-)"on ISSS.org.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, James Grier
1916 births
2002 deaths
American biologists
American systems scientists
Harvard University alumni
Harvard Fellows
University of Chicago faculty
University of Michigan faculty
Cleveland State University faculty
Presidents of the University of Louisville
20th-century biologists
Presidents of the International Society for the Systems Sciences
20th-century American academics