Reinterpreting the Philosophy of Complexity Science through Hegel's Philosophy

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master's Student at Allameh Tabataba'i University

2 Faculty Member at Allameh Tabataba'i University

Abstract
The present study explores the possibility of reinterpreting the philosophy of complexity science through the conceptual framework of Hegelian philosophy. While complexity science is often recognized as an empirical and model-driven field, this research argues that the philosophical foundations of Hegel’s thought can provide a robust conceptual framework for a deeper understanding of complex phenomena. The central research question guiding this study is: “How can Hegelian philosophical concepts inform and enrich the theoretical foundations of complexity science?” The motivation for this research arises from the growing recognition that, despite significant advances in modeling complex systems, the philosophical underpinnings of complexity science remain underdeveloped. By bridging the gap between German idealist philosophy and contemporary complexity studies, this work aims to contribute both to the theoretical enrichment of complexity science and to new interpretations of Hegel’s philosophy in the context of modern scientific challenges.

The extended abstract is provided in the attached file.

Keywords

Subjects

Bedau, M. A. (2002). Downward causation and the autonomy of weak emergence. Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology, 6(1), 5–50.
Bedau, M. A., & Humphreys, P. (Eds.). (2008). Emergence: Contemporary readings in philosophy and science. MIT Press.
Bidell, T. (2023). Internal relations as the basis of dialectics. In The Routledge International Handbook of Dialectical Thinking (pp. 123–137). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003317340-11
Cilliers, P. (1998). Complexity and postmodernism: Understanding complex systems. Routledge.
Eve, R. A., Horsfall, S., & Lee, M. E. (Eds.). (1997). Chaos, complexity, and sociology: Myths, models, and theories. Sage Publications.
Goldstein, J. (2013). Re-imagining emergence: Part 1. Emergence: Complexity & Organization, 15, 78–104.
Hegel, G. W. F. (1991). The encyclopaedia logic: Part I of the Encyclopaedia of philosophical sciences (with the Zusätze) (T. F. Geraets, W. A. Suchting, & H. S. Harris, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company. 
Hegel, G. W. F. (2010). The science of logic (G. di Giovanni, Trans. & Ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Hegel, G. W. F. (2014). Philosophy of nature (A. V. Miller, Trans., 2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. (Vol. 2 of Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences).
Heylighen, F., Cilliers, P., & Gershenson, C. (2007). Philosophy and complexity. In J. Bogg & R. Geyer (Eds.), Complexity, science and society (pp. 117–134). Radcliffe Publishing.
Humphreys, P. (2016). Emergence: A philosophical account. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190620325.001.0001
Inwood, M. (2012). A commentary on Hegel's Philosophy of Mind. Oxford University Press.
Kauffman, S. A. (1995). At home in the universe: The search for the laws of self-organization and complexity. Oxford University Press.
Kiblinger, J. William (2004). Hegelian complexity: Understanding the organism (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chicago.
Ladyman, J., Lambert, J., & Wiesner, K. (2013). What is a complex system? European Journal for Philosophy of Science, 3(1), 33–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-012-0056-8
Meadows, D. H. (2008). Thinking in systems: A primer (D. Wright, Ed.). Chelsea Green Publishing.
Pinkard, T. (2024). The prospects for an idealist natural philosophy: Logic and nature. In M. F. Bykova (Ed.), Hegel's philosophy of nature: A critical guide (pp. 259–272). Cambridge University Press.
Tucker, R. C. (2009). The cunning of reason in Hegel and Marx. The Review of Politics, 18(3), 269–295. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500009268
Waldrop, M. M. (1992). Complexity: The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos. Simon & Schuster.
References [In Persian]
Hartnak, Justus. (2019). Introduction to Hegel’s Logic, translated by Hossein Mafi Moghadam. Tehran: Naqd-e Farhang. [In Persian]
Hegel. (2000). Reason in History, translated by Hamid Enayat. Tehran: Shafiei Publications. [In Persian]
Hegel. (2020). Phenomenology of Spirit, translated by Seyed Masoud Hosseini & Mohammad Mahdi Ardabili. Tehran: Nashr-e Ney. [In Persian]
Morin, Edgar. (2015). Introduction to Complex Thought, translated by Afshin Jahandideh. Tehran: Nashr-e Ney. [In Persian]
Mitchell, Melanie. (2022). A Journey in Complexity Theory, translated by Reza Amirrahimi. Tehran: Nashr-e No. [In Persian]
Rose, James & Shulman, Graham. (2024). Nonlinear Mind: Psychoanalysis of Complexity in Mental Life, translated by Peyman Yousefzadeh, Reza Housmand Kakhki, & Azadeh Rezazadeh Fazeli. Tehran: Jameh Negar. [In Persian]
Stern, Robert. (2021). Hegel and the Phenomenology of Spirit, translated by Mohammad Mahdi Ardabili & Mohammad Javad Sidi. Tehran: Ghoghnoos. [In Persian]