Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism

dc.contributor.authorGrebe, Eduard
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-11T11:33:07Z
dc.date.available2016-07-11T11:33:07Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.date.updated2016-06-29T12:38:39Z
dc.description.abstractWe are faced with a fundamental problem for any science of complexity. To render the complex world understandable it is necessary to simplify it, but how can we render the complex simple without losing that which is distinctive and interesting about it? If complex systems are indeed ‘irreducible’ and therefore cannot be represented in ‘simple’ analytical models (Cilliers, 1998:9), is scientific reflection on complex systems doomed to be uninteresting reductions that can never grasp what is truly important? And if we insist on the irreducibility of complexity, can we avoid superfi- cial accounts that are prone to relativist interpretations? This is a problem with which Paul was well-acquainted, which is why he dealt extensively with models of complex systems in his book, and also explicitly addressed their epistemological in his Inaugural Lecture “Do modest positions have to be weak?”. He seemed comfortable on the tightrope between reductionism on the one hand and paralysing relativism on the other.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationGrebe, E. (2011). <i>Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism</i> University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Social Science Research(CSSR). Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20277en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationGrebe, Eduard <i>Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism.</i> University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Centre for Social Science Research(CSSR), 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20277en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationGrebe, E. 2011. Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism? Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Working Paper AU - Grebe, Eduard AB - We are faced with a fundamental problem for any science of complexity. To render the complex world understandable it is necessary to simplify it, but how can we render the complex simple without losing that which is distinctive and interesting about it? If complex systems are indeed ‘irreducible’ and therefore cannot be represented in ‘simple’ analytical models (Cilliers, 1998:9), is scientific reflection on complex systems doomed to be uninteresting reductions that can never grasp what is truly important? And if we insist on the irreducibility of complexity, can we avoid superfi- cial accounts that are prone to relativist interpretations? This is a problem with which Paul was well-acquainted, which is why he dealt extensively with models of complex systems in his book, and also explicitly addressed their epistemological in his Inaugural Lecture “Do modest positions have to be weak?”. He seemed comfortable on the tightrope between reductionism on the one hand and paralysing relativism on the other. DA - 2011 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2011 T1 - Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism TI - Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20277 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/20277
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationGrebe E. Complexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativism. 2011 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20277en_ZA
dc.languageengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentCentre for Social Science Research(CSSR)en_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/en_ZA
dc.titleComplexity and the human sciences: beyond reductionism and relativismen_ZA
dc.typeWorking Paperen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceResearch paperen_ZA
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