Max Scheler
Gesellschaft

Repository | Series | Buch | Kapitel

200773

A beginning

Robert L. Flood

pp. 195-199

Abstrakt

If I were asked to comment on what I had hoped that the argument of this book would offer the reader, then my answer would vehemently be, to show that challenge and emancipation can lead to an enriching of our intellectual and life-worlds. This I have tackled in a number of ways focusing on systems thinking. The main point from each strand of the general argument on Liberating Systems Theory is that we need to embrace complementarism and resist isolationism, and press for recognition that diversity can only be faced by unities and will destroy universals in systems thinking. This is a simple concept that of course can be found in cybernetic thinking: Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety states that only variety (diversity) can deal with variety (diversity). With the complementarist position we attempt to introduce this idea into epistemology, accepting that there have been many attempts to develop methods and theories in the face of multivarious complexities of our life-worlds and yet, not one has been found that is able to come up with full and total solutions or explanations, or is even able to point us in that direction. It would therefore be preferable to stop this search and to adopt an open and conciliatory stance that more or less says, well all right, let us consider what is being claimed by taking a critical approach that accepts that there might be legitimacies but is also honest enough to recognize that all approaches will have their limitations.

Publication details

Published in:

Flood Robert L. (1990) Liberating systems theory. Dordrecht, Springer.

Seiten: 195-199

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4899-2477-3_8

Referenz:

Flood Robert L. (1990) A beginning, In: Liberating systems theory, Dordrecht, Springer, 195–199.