Description
Book SynopsisAsks what is meant by complexity and how it might be handled within knowledge practices without generating a chaos of further complexities.
Trade Review“Extremely timely, important, and well-defined, this book is precisely on target in focusing on heterogeneous studies that treat knowledge as local. The types of science and technology discussed are diverse and well-balanced.”—David Stump, coeditor of
The Disunity of Science: Boundaries, Contests, and Power"
Complexities would be an excellent supplemental text in upper-division undergraduate or graduate courses in logic, philosophy, political science, global human-resource management, or cultural diversity. The real-world nature of the essays and the lack of clear conclusions make the selections in this book an excellent starting point for class discussions and reflective practice exercises. Used effectively, this book should aid students in demonstrating competence in synthesizing, evaluating, and judging the advantages and disadvantages of courses of behavior." -- Cheryl Crozier Garcia * International Social Science Review *
"This volume begins to address a theme of increasing importance within sociology. Although it is produced form within the field of science and technology studies, it should have a broader appeal among other social scientists, including those who are interested in social theory, cultural studies, communications, management, and organizational research." -- Anne Gatensby * Contemporary Sociology *
Table of ContentsComplexities: An Introduction / Annemarie Mol and John Law
Romantic and Baroque Conceptions of Complex Wholes in the Sciences / Chunglin Kwa
Which Road to Follow? The Moral Complexity of an “Equipped” Humanity / Laurent Thevenot
On Space and Depth / Marilyn Strathern
On Hidden Heterogeneities: Complexity, Formalism, and Aircraft Design / John Law
In the Middle of the Network / Andrew Barry
When Elephants Stand for Competing Philosophies of Nature: Amboseli National Park, Kenya / Charis Thompson
Writing and (Re)writing Devices as Tools for Managing Complexity / Michel Callon
Cutting Surgeons, Walking Patients: Some Complexities Involved in Comparing / Annemarie Mol
The Disposal of Fear: Childhood, Trauma, and Complexity / Nick Lee and Steven D. Brown
Contributors
Index
