"The Worldview as an Ersatz Gestalt" is the previously unpublished master's thesis that Jan Turnovský submitted in 1978 to the Architectural Association in London. At its core is the philosophy of "Open Systems," inspired by Umberto Eco, which is applied to architectural design work: The perception (construction) of forms (architecture) is significantly influenced by worldview (collective, contemporary, etc.). On the other hand, an individual worldview offers the possibility to see forms differently than intended, to construct them from given stimuli in ways that are not usual. Three types of "magical formulas," which were particularly prevalent in architecture during the 1970s and competed with each other, are examined: the terminologies and formulas of numerical aesthetics, ideology, and semiology.