Broadly speaking, complex thinking is the most difficult and demanding form of reasoning, yielding the most profound conclusions . This concept is used in various contexts, especially in the work of the French philosopher and sociologist Edgar Morin (1921–), who defined it as the ability to connect or establish a dialogue between two or more different dimensions of reality, redefining the meaning of “complex” in these contexts.
We normally think that something “complex” is simply something difficult, but etymologically this term comes from the Latin complexus , the result of the union of the prefix con- (“together with”) and the verb plectere (“to intertwine” or “to braid”), so that complex, in the sense that Morin understands it, is that which is interwoven, interconnected or intertwined.
Therefore, complex thinking is necessarily transdisciplinary and holistic, and rather than promoting reductionist, simplistic, and totalizing explanations, it instead proposes reflective, multidimensional thinking strategies that allow for complex solutions to problems. This is based on several fundamental principles, such as:
- Respond to complexity with complexity, since simplifying loses important elements.
- Accept diversity and creativity as valueswhen facing a problem.
- Take into account the context of the problems.
- Anticipate, explore, steal, and adapt: discover the future instead of trying to control it.
- Always keep your options as open as possible.
- Don’t try to control a complex system, but rather guide and accompany it in its process.
Complex thinking seeks to uncover unexpected connections between the different dimensions of reality, and at the same time identifies and distinguishes them, but does not isolate them from one another. Hence, it is known as “ecologized” thinking, that is, it studies its problems in their habitat or ecosystem. In this way, it differs from simple thinking, which eliminates diversity and instead focuses on a single, correct, comprehensive answer.
Hence, the application of complex thinking to everyday problems always begins with the evaluation and identification of the problem’s context, incorporating as many elements as possible into the system, and approaches it from different perspectives, responding to the complexity of the problem with the complexity of thinking. To achieve this, it is important to understand problems as systems that are simultaneously a unity and a diversity of parts; that is, they are simultaneously “more and less than the sum of their parts.”
- See also: Analytical thinking
Examples of complex thinking
The following are some examples of complex thinking:
- Contemporary physicists no longer view the cosmos as something stable and orderly, but as a diverse system of forces and matter in continuous change and movement, structuring and disintegrating at the same time.
- Translations are often seen as the “rescue” of a given meaning from one language to another, as if nothing were lost in the process. But from the perspective of complex thought, it is also the introduction of the translator’s interpretations and judgments into the translated work, so that when reading the translation, one reads both the author and the translator.
- Life and death are often considered polar opposites, when in reality they are intertwined: one can only die if one is first alive, and the existence of death is what distinguishes living beings from inanimate matter. Thus, these are two concepts that are both complementary and mutually exclusive.
- According to complex thinking, the low productivity of a business department cannot be resolved solely by addressing the department’s internal dynamics and ignoring the rest of its corporate ecosystem. Therefore, it must be addressed from a multifaceted perspective that takes into account its relationship with other units.
- All living beings possess the same basic genetic structure (DNA), composed of the same materials, which is repeated with each cell division like a mold. However, variations and mutations also occur there, allowing for the introduction of diversity into the species. Therefore, order and chaos, preservation and continuous change, individuality and species coexist within the same genetic system.
