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.

Rika Preiser, Centre for Studies in Complexity, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.