Emergence and understanding of a complex world

Stephen Hawking predicted that the 21st century would be the "century of complexity," a view seemingly confirmed by the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to scientists who advanced research on complex systems. Complexity now plays a central role not only in physics but also in climate science, sociology, and economics, leading to what can be called a "revolution of complex systems." Modern global challenges—climate change, geopolitical tensions, economic crises, and migration—are increasingly complex, requiring decisions under uncertain and multifaceted conditions.

This lecture cycle seeks to provide a deep, philosophical understanding of complexity as both a research object and a perspective. It aims to develop a “theory of the complex world” by integrating concepts of complexity into philosophical and scientific frameworks, using both historical and theoretical approaches.

Despite the widespread use of the terms "complexity" and "complex," philosophical inquiry into these concepts remains limited. Similarly, ideas like “transdisciplinarity” and “interdisciplinarity,” often associated with complexity in science, lack precise conceptual treatment. While there are efforts to explain global phenomena as complex, current philosophical tools are insufficient to fully grasp and describe the nature and implications of such complexity.

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