Each person has his own vision of the facts, as well as being influenced and, why not say it, indoctrinated by the principles in which, unconsciously, his educational centre, social group or family has immersed him.

Morality is something that varies greatly depending on where one was born, but the truth is that, with the development of society as we know it today, it seems that local morality is no longer as solid and valid as it once was.

Within the philosophy of Edgar Morin proposes the idea of opting for a more holistic vision of the facts, both in terms of scientific knowledge and ethicomoral perception, and to understand that more than differentiated cultures, we are part of a huge planetary culture.

Within his theory of complex thought, he tries to explain how this vision should be promoted, and this article is focused on trying to explain his proposal in more detail.

Complex thought theory: what is it?

The notion of complex thought was coined by the French philosopher and sociologist of Sephardic origin Edgar Morin , born Edgar Nahum.

This idea refers to the ability to connect different dimensions of reality, which has been characterized by the acquisition of more and more components, as humanity has progressed and evolved. Reality could be compared to a fabric, composed of multiple fabrics and, therefore, something really complex.

The more complex it is, the more details about the society in which one lives have to be taken into account. A person should not think in terms of reducing what he or she is living through, nor should he or she choose a position based on one or a few facts. Thus, due to the characteristics of today’s society, it is necessary for the person, in order to have a well-founded opinion, to reflect carefully on the information he or she receives. This reflective capacity is what Morin called complex thought .

Complex thought is, in essence, a strategy that has a globalizing intention, that is, it tries to encompass all the phenomena of which it is present, but taking into account their particularities as different events that they are. This concept is totally contrary to that of simplifying thought, which unifies all knowledge into a single vision, nullifying the possible diversity that exists and leading the person, whether student or teacher, to a ‘blind intelligence’.

The term complexity, within Edgar Morin’s thought, can be represented as a kind of great network, whose thin threads are interwoven and relate its components. The threads are events, actions, interactions, retroactions, determinations, chances of shaping the world.

Complex thought deals with questions, both profound and banal, such as the concern about where the human species is going, the social problems that arise each decade and how these can be resolved with adequate education.

Complex thought is not something innate . It should be educated in it and its application should be encouraged. The philosopher specialized in pedagogy Matthew Lipman was of the opinion that it was extremely necessary to inculcate this type of thinking in children already at an early age. Complex thinking has the outstanding characteristic of not accepting a fact as something categorical and undoubtedly credible, but rather of encouraging the search for other options, exploring and seeing to what extent what is perceived is true or not.

The Seven Basic Skills for the Education of the Future

Edgar Morin believes that education should be aimed at encouraging reflection in his students. Students should not accept facts as unquestionably true, but should seek, as if they were authentically using the scientific method, possible alternative explanations to the knowledge learned.

Thus, in 1999, Morin proposed the seven knowledges or basic principles for the education of the future , which were published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. According to this philosopher, every society, regardless of its culture, should try to promote this knowledge among its population.

1. Cure Knowledge Blindness

All knowledge carries with it a risk of error, which may be greater or lesser . As has always happened with science, there are data that at one point in history are taken as a truth and, after being researched again, are refuted.

Knowledge is something that evolves and can therefore be very relative and fragile. That is why students must be taught that what they are learning is something that can accept change over time, and that it is not absolute truth.

Therefore, one must be critical of one’s own knowledge.

2. Ensuring relevant knowledge

This principle, especially important in the era of new technologies, refers to the importance of knowing how to conscientiously select the bombardment of data and information we receive .

You have to detect what the true information is, with expert opinion behind it. It is also important to understand what are real problems and what kind of information is appropriate to solve them.

General intelligence is based on the knowledge that is accepted by the population, and also by the criticism that is made of them.

3. Teaching the human condition

The human species is divided into ethnic groups, religions, languages, countries, nations … That is why it is very important to understand that, although there are differences, all people are part of the same humanity .

We must know how to appreciate cultural diversity and not pretend to homogenize humanity, but also understand that everyone has the same rights and obligations.

People must be contextualized according to the situation they have been placed in, not as something that is undoubtedly inseparable from them.

4. Teaching earthly identity

Related to the previous point, it should be understood that the thousands of years of human history have witnessed how what should have been at first one ethnic group, a pristine culture, expanded and fragmented into many others.

However, thanks to the emergence of technology, whether through intercontinental transport or computer networks, it is possible to make contact very easily with people from cultures radically different from one’s own.

It is necessary to understand that the development of humanity should be promoted not only in economic terms , but also, and thanks to the appearance of the mentioned technologies, to promote intellectual, emotional and moral development at a global level.

National, regional and local identities are fine, but the identity that unites all people, as citizens of the Earth and therefore members of an earthly mega-culture, has always been largely neglected.

5. Dealing with uncertainties

Uncertainty, in itself, does not have to be a good thing or a bad thing . Students should be taught that history will always be faced with a situation of uncertainty, in which the next phase may involve a great advance or, on the contrary, a real catastrophe.

History, like biological evolution, is not a line. It advances through deviations and shortcuts, which can make great progress one moment and seem to return to the starting point the next.

The randomness and lack of control of the whole system is undoubtedly a feature of the human condition.

This, in turn, applies to knowledge, which can also be uncertain. It may be that what has been discovered is not really as true as believed when a piece of information appears to refute it.

6. Teaching understanding

Understanding should be promoted both within the group itself (endogroup) and in relation to people from different groups , whether in cultural, linguistic, religious or any other terms.

It is very important to understand that understanding and communication are not synonymous. Although new technologies facilitate contact between very different people, this does not mean that the ethical codes present in each culture have been overcome, or that those of the other ethnic group are understood.

One’s moral values can be an obstacle to putting oneself in another person’s shoes. The great enemies of understanding, according to Edgar Morin, are selfishness, ethnocentrism and sociocentrism.

Teaching understanding means teaching not to reduce the human being to one or more of his qualities, since these are really multiple and complex.

7. The ethics of the human race

Ethics should be promoted not only in individual terms, that is, that each person has a moral respect for others, but also promotes the idea that the group to which one belongs behaves in a moral way when establishing contact with others .

In addition, the creation and teaching of an ethic valid for all humankind should be encouraged, something like the equivalence of human rights but in terms of moral obligations.

It is understood, based on Morin’s vision, that the maximum exponent of this principle is to make democracy common in all countries of the world.

This democracy should not be synonymous with the dictatorship of the majority, but should be a form of government in which, while some will have a greater voice, the multiple opinions of its citizens are respected and heard.

Bibliographic references:

  • Morin, E. (1992). From the concept of system to the paradigm of complexity. Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems. 15 (4): 371-385
  • Szekely, E.; Mason, M. (2018). Complexity theory, the capability approach, and the sustainability of development initiatives in education. Journal of Education Policy.