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Informationen zum Autor 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. Klappentext 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 Zusammenfassung Asks what is meant by complexity and how it might be handled within knowledge practices without generating a chaos of further complexities. 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...
