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Although much recent social science and humanities work has been a revolt against simplification, this volume explores the contrast between simplicity and complexity to reveal that this dichotomy, itself, is too simplistic. John Law and Annemarie Mol have gathered a distinguished panel of contributors to offer-particularly within the field of science studies-approaches to a theory of complexity, and at the same time a theoretical introduction to the topic. Indeed, they examine not only ways of relating to complexity but complexity in practice.
Individual essays study complexity from a variety of perspectives, addressing market behavior, medical interventions, aeronautical design, the governing of supranational states, ecology, roadbuilding, meteorology, the science of complexity itself, and the psychology of childhood trauma. Other topics include complex wholes (holism) in the sciences, moral complexity in seemingly amoral endeavors, and issues relating to the protection of African elephants. With a focus on such concepts as multiplicity, partial connections, and ebbs and flows, the collection includes narratives from Kenya, Great Britain, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, France, and the meetings of the European Commission, written by anthropologists, economists, philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, and scholars of science, technology, and society.
Contributors. Andrew Barry, Steven D. Brown, Michel Callon, Chunglin Kwa, John Law, Nick Lee, Annemarie Mol, Marilyn Strathern, Laurent ThÉvenot, Charis Thompson
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Complexities: An Introduction / Annemarie Mol and John Law
Romantic and Baroque Conceptions of Complex Wholes in the Sciences / Chunglin Kwa
Which Road to Follow? The Moral Complexity of an “Equipped” Humanity / Laurent Thevenot
On Space and Depth / Marilyn Strathern
On Hidden Heterogeneities: Complexity, Formalism, and Aircraft Design / John Law
In the Middle of the Network / Andrew Barry
When Elephants Stand for Competing Philosophies of Nature: Amboseli National Park, Kenya / Charis Thompson
Writing and (Re)writing Devices as Tools for Managing Complexity / Michel Callon
Cutting Surgeons, Walking Patients: Some Complexities Involved in Comparing / Annemarie Mol
The Disposal of Fear: Childhood, Trauma, and Complexity / Nick Lee and Steven D. Brown
Contributors
Index
Über den Autor / die Autorin
John Law is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Science Studies at Lancaster University in England.
Annemarie Mol is Professor of Political Philosophy at Twente University in the Netherlands.
Zusammenfassung
Asks what is meant by complexity and how it might be handled within knowledge practices without generating a chaos of further complexities.
