Science and its Discontents: Is There an End to Knowing?

Shkliarevsky, Gennady

doi:10.1002/sres.2127

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(17 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Systems construct themselves. As has been argued elsewhere, conservation is at the heart of this process (Shkliarevsky, ). Systems conserve themselves by conserving the functional operations of their subsystems.…”

Section: Network and Hierarchies: The Phenomenology Of Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even major sciences display the corrosive effects of the disharmony that dominates our civilization. For example, there have been no major theoretical breakthroughs in physics since the creation of quantum mechanics in the 1930s (Shkliarevsky, , p. 52). Also, we cannot produce a credible solution for our environmental or economic problems (Shkliarevsky, ).…”

Section: Network and Hierarchies: The Phenomenology Of Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Rethinking Democracy: A Systems Perspective on the Global Unrest

Shkliarevsky

2015

Syst. Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The paper seeks to make a contribution towards a better understanding of the current global political unrest. It argues that this unrest reflects ongoing tensions between hierarchical and non-hierarchical interactions. It also argues that the opposition between hierarchical and non-hierarchical interactions is not ontological but rather is rooted in the way we approach reality and is, therefore, subject to our control. The tendency to exclude the process of construction from our frame of vision is characteristic for the view of reality that is dominant in our civilization. Contemporary theoretical perspectives that include, but are not limited to, systems theory, complexity theory, theory of self-organization, emergence theory and autopoiesis have much to offer in addressing and resolving this problem. The paper outlines some general organizing principles that should be part of this solution. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Keywords systems theory; hierarchies; networks; horizontalists Over two decades ago, communism collapsed and the Cold War ended. Francis Fukuyama hailed this development in his book The End of History and the Last Man as the beginning of a new era in which liberal democracy and capitalism would reign supreme. All that would be left for humanity to do was to enjoy the fruits of this remarkable victory that would bring peace, freedom and prosperity to the entire world.Long gone are the days of triumphalism. Today, the prophecy that Fukuyama made in the wake of the demise of the Soviet bloc 'that liberal democracy, combined with market economics, represented the direction in which the world would inevitably evolve ' (Fukuyama, 1989) rings hollow; today, we hear a very different tune. It warns us about the retreat of democracy, the rise of authoritarian regimes, economic uncertainty and prospects of growing violence and hostility in the world (Kurlantzick, 2013).At the time of its publication, many welcomed Fukuyama's book as a prophecy and a revelation of the world to come. Now, more than two decades later, few ever mention or quote this book and even fewer hold the predictive powers of its author in high regard. The world has turned out to be very different from what Fukuyama divined. It is turbulent, dangerous and extremely uncertain. Many * Correspondence to: Gennady Shkliarevsky, History, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, Red Hook, NY, 12504, USA. E-mail: shkliare@bard.edu 1 I want to use this opportunity to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their very careful and nuanced reading of the earlier drafts of this paper. Their comments and suggestions are very valuable and accepted with gratitude.

show abstract

Section: Network and Hierarchies: The Phenomenology Of Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Network and Hierarchies: The Phenomenology Of Conflictmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking Democracy: A Systems Perspective on the Global Unrest

Shkliarevsky

2015

Syst. Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It does not prohibit a zero level of entropy production. As has been argued elsewhere, equilibration at one level of organization is always accompanied by the growth of disequilibrium at another level of organization, thus making the overall level of entropy production equal to zero (Shkliarevsky, ). By constantly changing and creating new levels and forms of organization, isolated systems such as our universe can continue to produce entropy and at the same time avoid ‘thermal death’.…”

Section: The Entropy Argument Against Sustainable Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The human mind represents the most powerful level of organization of reality. As has been argued elsewhere, ‘organization of reality that involves symbolic thought has no limitations; it is in fact infinite’ (Shkliarevsky, , pp. 47–48).…”

Section: Towards a Sustainable Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Squaring the Circle: In Quest for Sustainability

Shkliarevsky

2014

Syst. Res

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Development has been the main strategy in addressing the problem of sustainability since at least the mid-1980s. The results of this strategy have been mixed, if not disappointing. In their objections to this approach, critics frequently invoke constraints imposed by physical reality of which the most important one is entropy production. They question the belief that technological innovations are capable of solving the problem of sustainability. Is development the right response to this problem and is the current course capable of attaining sustainability? The article examines closely and critiques the principal theoretical objection to sustainable development that emphasizes physical constraints, and more specifically entropy production. It also offers a critique of the current approach to sustainable development. The article advocates a systems approach as a way to anchor a broad consensus in the ongoing sustainability debates.

show abstract

Promoting Curiosity?

Lindholm

2018

Sci & Educ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Curiosity is a wonder of the human mind. It goes to the heart of modernity, as a driving force for learning, novel insights, and innovation, both for individuals and communities. In societies dependent on science and development, finding out what promotes or hampers curiosity and wonder in school curricula and science education is accordingly essential. In this conceptual article, I suggest a framework for curiosity-based science education and I explore options for its wellbeing and development during preschool, preadolescence, and adolescence. In preschool, curiosity and wonder are triggered by perceptive beauty rather than by facts, and a method emphasizing maximism as a complementary factor in preschool science education is proposed. In prepuberty, curiosity is encouraged by exploring the diversity of the world. Facts and clear-cut knowledge constitute a firm foundation for scientific thinking. In high school, curiosity is ignited by means of a better balance between models and phenomenology. Criticism has arisen over the one-sided use of models in high school science education, which limits scientific thinking to frameworks defined by the actual model. Possible solutions to maintain students' curiosity and ideas to improve the balance between phenomenology and models are discussed.

show abstract

Science and its Discontents: Is There an End to Knowing?

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

Rethinking Democracy: A Systems Perspective on the Global Unrest

Rethinking Democracy: A Systems Perspective on the Global Unrest

Squaring the Circle: In Quest for Sustainability

Promoting Curiosity?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About