ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the second mistaken view of the material world, that of a mechanistic, but analytically describable, system. The unintentional errors and consequences that arise when complexity is ignored are barriers to flourishing. Social coherence is compromised as a result. What makes systems and situations complex is explored. The challenges of addressing complexity are elaborated. The “wicked problem” description of Rittel and Webber provides a planner’s view of complexity. A framework for practical activities, such as taking a pragmatic, rather than positivistic, stance in attacking problems and in designing of new institutions and technology is laid out. Pragmatism, which began as a philosophical inquiry about the meaning of beliefs, is presented as a methodology capable of producing (right-brain) understanding of complex systems. The separate pieces of the chapter are combined into a five-step practical program for dealing with complexity.
