Komplexität und Realismus

Abstract

Complexity and Realism

The emergence of complexity as an epistemological property of certain phenomena changed our idea of phenomenality. But, except from very technical (and often marginal) approaches to epistemology, it has not been adopted by philosophical research. In any case, the large revolution the idea and the method of investigation of complex systems have lead to in science (natural as well social sciences) does not have an influence on the contemporary debate about realism in philosophy. In my paper I give a quick definition of the mutual relations between the philosophical problem of reality on the one side and the scientific issues of complexity theory on the other side. Further, I develop a realistic approach to complexity by the idea of meta-ontological modeling grounded upon a realistic background. That is to say that an approach to complexity of phenomena as such does never deny its basic strong certitude of reality. In this way a philosophical approach to complexity can provide a synthesis between constructivism and realism.

Keywords: complexity theory, metaontology, modeling, realism, mathesis