Complexity and Creative Capacity

Complexity and Creative Capacity
Author: Kelly Chapman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2015-11-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1317398130

Complexity theories gained prominence in the 1990s with a focus on self-organising and complex adaptive systems. Since then, complexity theory has become one of the fastest growing topics in both the natural and social sciences, and touted as a revolutionary way of understanding the behaviour of complex systems. This book uses complexity theory to surface and challenge the deeply held cultural assumptions that shape how we think about reality and knowledge. In doing so it shows how our traditional approaches to generating and applying knowledge may be paradoxically exacerbating some of the ‘wicked’ environmental problems we are currently facing. The author proposes an innovative and compelling argument for rejecting old constructs of knowledge transfer, adaptive management and adaptive capacity. The book also presents a distinctively coherent and comprehensive synthesis of cognition, learning, knowledge and organizing from a complexity perspective. It concludes with a reconceptualization of the problem of knowledge transfer from a complexity perspective, proposing the concept of creative capacity as an alternative to adaptive capacity as a measure of resilience in socio-ecological systems. Although written from an environmental management perspective, it is relevant to the broader natural sciences and to a range of other disciplines, including knowledge management, organizational learning, organizational management, and the philosophy of science.

Handbook on Planning and Complexity

Handbook on Planning and Complexity
Author: Gert de Roo
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2020-06-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1786439182

This Handbook shows the enormous impetus given to the scientific debate by linking planning as a science of purposeful interventions and complexity as a science of spontaneous change and non-linear development. Emphasising the importance of merging planning and complexity, this comprehensive Handbook also clarifies key concepts and theories, presents examples on planning and complexity and proposes new ideas and methods which emerge from synthesising the discipline of spatial planning with complexity sciences.

Global Challenges, Governance, and Complexity

Global Challenges, Governance, and Complexity
Author: Victor Galaz
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2019-12-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1788115422

There is an increased interest in integrating insights from the complexity sciences to studies of governance and policy. While the issue has been debated, and the term of ‘complexity’ has multiple and sometimes contested interpretations, it is also clear the field has spurred a number of interesting theoretical and empirical efforts. The book includes key thinkers in the field, elaborates on different analytical approaches in studying governance, institutions and policy in the face of complexity, and showcases empirical applications and insights.

Strong Towns

Strong Towns
Author: Charles L. Marohn, Jr.
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 262
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1119564816

A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Towards a Complex Perfectionism

Towards a Complex Perfectionism
Author: Peter Scheers
Publisher: Peeters Publishers
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2005
Genre: Ethics
ISBN: 9789042916555

This book examines the content of a complex perfective anthropology beyond absolute, abstract, negative and minimalist readings. A rich sense of perfection is here to stay because of the ineradicable existential role of gradational estimation in terms of better and worse. The first section focuses on the connection between hermeneutics and perfectionism. The author claims that a hermeneutical conception of interpretation unavoidably implies a perfective scheme of better and worse, and that a contemporary perfectionism should be based exactly on a hermeneutical theory of interpretation. The second section introduces a differentiated language of perfection as positive. The author argues that we need a plurivocal list of kinds and levels of perfection as to be able to reach a higher sense of estimation. Human appraisal itself, so it turns out, can be undertaken in better and worse ways. The third section consolidates and extends the idea of a perfective anthropology. Here we are brought to a consideration of ourselves as organisms of a certain kind, of the personalised aspects of the human quest for perfection, of perfective experience in the context of concrete practices, and of the possibility of future perfection. The book ends with a chapter on environmental perfectionism, arguing that a benign human interpretation of non-human nature should include a careful application of the perfective concept of a life story to the realm of plants and animals. This application is meant to underscore the moral insight that we are not the only heroes of perfective being.

The Complexity of Creativity

The Complexity of Creativity
Author: Ake E. Andersson
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 156
Release: 2013-12-14
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9401587884

This is a volume on the concepts, theories, models and social consequences of creativity. It contains articles by well-known cognitive scientists, economists, mathematicians, philosophers and psychologists.

Creative Dimensions of Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century

Creative Dimensions of Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century
Author: Jill B. Cummings
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2017-09-12
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9463510478

In a rapidly changing world the importance of creativity is more apparent than ever. As a result, creativity is now essential in education. Creative Dimensions of Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century appeals to educators across disciplines teaching at every age level who are challenged daily to develop creative practices that promote innovation, critical thinking and problem solving. The thirty-five original chapters written by educators from different disciplines focus on theoretical and practical strategies for teaching creatively in contexts ranging from mathematics to music, art education to second language learning, aboriginal wisdom to technology and STEM. They explore and illustrate deep learning that is connected to issues vital in education – innovation, identity, engagement, relevance, interaction, collaboration, on-line learning, dynamic assessment, learner autonomy, sensory awareness, social justice, aesthetics, critical thinking, digital media, multi-modal literacy and more. The editors and authors share their passion for creativity, teaching, learning, curriculum, and teacher education in this collection that critically examines creative practices that are appearing in today’s public schools, post-secondary institutions and adult and community learning centres. Creativity is transforming education in the 21st century.

Complexity, Science and Society

Complexity, Science and Society
Author: Jan Bogg
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 189
Release: 2017-11-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1498791220

'The following sections are a very good representation of the core developments of complexity thinking in a number of major fields. Our intention is to provide an accessible interdisciplinary introduction to the wonderful intellectual breadth that complexity can offer.' - Jan Bogg and Robert Geyer in the Introduction. Complexity is a new and exciting interdisciplinary approach to science and society that challenges traditional academic divisions, frameworks and paradigms. This book helps the expert, student or policy practitioner have a better understanding of the enormous potential of complexity, and how it relates to their particular area of interest or expertise. It provides excellent representations of the core developments of complexity thinking in a number of major fields. "Complexity, Science and Society" brings together an unrivalled selection of new applications of complexity from leading experts across subjects including medicine and healthcare, education, public policy and social theory, ecology, philosophy, international politics, the arts, modelling and design, and others. Together they offer an unprecedented review of the latest developments. This book is an accessible interdisciplinary introduction to the wonderful intellectual breadth that complexity can offer.

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences

Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences
Author: David Byrne
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2002-01-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1134714734

Chaos and complexity are the new buzz words in both science and contemporary society. The ideas they represent have enormous implications for the way we understand and engage with the world. Complexity Theory and the Social Sciences introduces students to the central ideas which surround the chaos/complexity theories. It discusses key concepts before using them as a way of investigating the nature of social research. By applying them to such familiar topics as urban studies, education and health, David Byrne allows readers new to the subject to appreciate the contribution which complexity theory can make to social research and to illuminating the crucial social issues of our day.

The SAGE Handbook of Complexity and Management

The SAGE Handbook of Complexity and Management
Author: Peter Allen
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 665
Release: 2011-03-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1446209741

The SAGE Handbook of Complexity and Management is the first substantive scholarly work to provide a map of the state of art research in the growing field emerging at the intersection of complexity science and management studies. Edited and written by internationally respected scholars from management and related disciplines, the Handbook will be the definitive reference source for understanding the implications of complexity science for management research and practice. Part One: Foundations introduces complexity science and its implications for the foundations of scientific knowledge, including management knowledge. Part Two: Applications presents the numerous ways in which complexity science models and tools, as well as complexity thinking, are being applied to management and organizational phenomena and the insights gained as a result. Part Three: Interfaces highlights how complexity science is transforming various non-management fields and, in so doing, creating exciting interfaces for bridging between management and related disciplines.