Rika Preiser

Unpacking the Ethics of Complexity: Concluding Reflections

The objectives of this concluding chapter are threefold. In the first place it provides a narrative which attempts to integrate the various ways in which the concepts “complexity”, “difference” and “identity” are used by the various authors in this volume. All the contributions contain an element of critique which urges us to re-think the frameworks of our interventions and to acknowledge the inevitable normativity which our engagement with complex systems implies. The second objective is thus to develop an “ethics of complexity” in a little more detail. It is argued that the critical position is a constructive one, and that all our decisions should be provisional in principle. The notion of the “provisional imperative” is introduced. Finally the chapter aims to highlight some of the implications of these insights for our understanding and management of organisations. These insights depart significantly from the more traditional or mechanistic approaches found in contemporary business ethics discourses. Employing notions from “critical complexity”, several suggestions are made to assist the development of a more transformational approach to business ethics.

Deconstruction and complexity: a critical economy

In this paper we argue for the contribution that deconstruction can make towards an understanding of complex systems. We begin with a description of what we mean by complexity and how Derridas thought illustrates a sensitivity towards the problems we face when dealing with complex systems. This is especially clear in Derridas deconstruction of the structuralist linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure. We compare this critique with the work of Edgar Morin, one of the foremost thinkers of contem- porary complexity and argue for the possible contributions that both thinkers provide towards an understanding of complex phenomena in the world. We then move on to illustrate the particular economy of thinking we are forced to engage with when dealing with complex systems. This economy is inspired by Derridas deconstruction of Batailles general economy. This economy illustrates the fundamental nature of critique in the process of dealing with complex systems, the third concept we explore in this paper. The process of critique illustrates the necessity for both cutting apart and weaving together of economies in order to maintain the possibility for divergent ways of being in the world. We conclude with the ethical implications of dealing with complex systems and some first steps towards an ‘ethics of complexity’.

Using futures methods to create transformative spaces: visions of a good Anthropocene in southern Africa

The unique challenges posed by the Anthropocene require creative ways of engaging with the future and bringing about transformative change. Envisioning positive futures is a first step in creating a shared understanding and commitment that enables radical transformations toward sustainability in a world defined by complexity, diversity, and uncertainty. However, to create a transformative space in which truly unknowable futures can be explored, new experimental approaches are needed that go beyond merely extrapolating from the present into archetypal scenarios of the future. Here, we present a process of creative visioning where participatory methods and tools from the field of futures studies were combined in a novel way to create and facilitate a transformative space, with the aim of generating positive narrative visions for southern Africa. We convened a diverse group of participants in a workshop designed to develop radically different scenarios of good Anthropocenes, based on existing “seeds” of the future in the present. These seeds are innovative initiatives, practices, and ideas that are present in the world today, but are not currently widespread or dominant. As a result of a carefully facilitated process that encouraged a multiplicity of perspectives, creative immersion, and grappling with deeply held assumptions, four radical visions for southern Africa were produced. Although these futures are highly innovative and exploratory, they still link back to current real-world initiatives and contexts. The key learning that arose from this experience was the importance of the imagination for transformative thinking, the need to capitalize on diversity to push boundaries, and finally, the importance of creating a space that enables participants to engage with emotions, beliefs, and complexity. This method of engagement with the future has the potential to create transformative spaces that inspire and empower people to act toward positive Anthropocene visions despite the complexity of the sustainability challenge.

External stakeholders and Health Promoting Schools: complexity and practice in South Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of two higher education institutions in the Western Cape, South Africa, and how their initiatives and collaboration brought about a particular health promoting schools (HPS) program in a resource poor setting. The aim of this paper is to reflect on the importance of the role that external systemic actors and stakeholders can play in the process of designing and implementing HPS programs in resource poor settings. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper a complex systems approach is employed to describe two different participatory methods of engagement with HPS by higher education institutions. On the one hand, engagement took place in terms of a formal and funded project, directed at the organizational level of the school, with capacity building as its aim. On the other hand, engagement was initiated informally (as part of a service-learning project) via collaboration with the formal project, directed at the individual level of learners in the...

A framework for conceptualizing and assessing the resilience of essential services produced by socio-technical systems

CITATION: Van Der Merwe, S. E., Biggs, R. & Preiser, R. 2018. A framework for conceptualizing and assessing the resilience of essential services produced by socio-technical systems. Ecology and Society, 23(2):12, doi:10.5751/ES-09623-230212.