Rika Preiser 
Critical Complexity 
Collected Essays

This book is a collection of all the single authored essays by Paul Cilliers, published between 1990-2011. Being one of few authors who approached the study of complexity from a philosophical perspective, the main themes in these papers explore:
– Qualitative characterization of complexity and the normative implications of studying complex adaptive systems,
– the philosophical and conceptual similarity to post-structural approaches
– how any engagement with complexity leads to a critical engagement with how we do science and design interventions
– critical and normative implications for how to engage with complex socio-political concerns in the world.

What makes this book unique is that it consolidates a body of work that is distributed over a wide range of academic journals. Although his book ‘Complexity and Postmodernism’ (Routledge, 1998) remains a cornerstone in the field of complexity studies, Cilliers’ journal essays really explore the application of the theoretical concepts in more depth. His ground-breaking ideas conceptualized in these essays have served as a continual source of novelty and inspiration in the process of applying complexity thinking to other fields of study.

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