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You are here: Home / seminars / Series of seminars / Les engagements épistémiques des théories de la complexité

Les engagements épistémiques des théories de la complexité

The conference “Epistemic commitments of complexity theories” aims at gathering practitioners of the field, as well as researchers in philosophy, history, sociology, in order to address the axiological, ideological and political aspects of some of the most important complexity theories: complex systems sciences (Santa Fe Institute style), cybernetics and systemics (autopoiesis, Hayekian neoliberalism, Odum ecology, etc.)…

Several social and human science works have shown how science and knowledge are not merely a world of ideas. Scientific theories are embedded in different practices, techniques, ontologies, institutions, materiality, norms, and ideologies (Hackett et al., 2008). Scientific narratives, theories, models, and even equations are – despite their often supposed neutrality – carriers of normative and political viewpoints that must be explicated and democratically debated (Granjou & Arpin, 2015; Knorr-Cetina, 1982; Jasanoff, 2015; Vieille-Blanchard, 2007).
Following such an anthropological take on complexity theories, this workshop will address the normative, ideological and political underpinnings of complexity science, including questions such as:
  • What kind of ontology of the social world is implicit in complexity theories?

  • What performative and normative effects do such ontologies have on complexity specialists’ views of politics?

    • What are complexity specialists’ commitments in the academic, social, economic, and political fields?

List of invited speakers
- Jean-Pierre Dupuy (CV)


Videos available on Your tube : Here

To allow for more interesting discussions, you're invited to read the papers presented by the speakers before the conference. They're available on the page of each session.

Program