Unruly Complexity
Ecology, Interpretation, Engagement
For each realm Taylor shows that unruly complexity-situations that lack definite boundaries, where what goes on "outside" continually restructures what is "inside," and where diverse processes come together to produce change-should not be suppressed by partitioning complexity into well-bounded systems that can be studied or managed from an outside vantage point. Using case studies from Australia, North America, and Africa, he encourages readers to be troubled by conventional boundaries-especially between science and the interpretation of science-and to reflect more self-consciously on the conceptual and practical choices researchers make.
“Taylor is so bold as to directly challenge the accepted distinction between science, interpretation, and engagement that goes back to the very dawn of modern science. Drawing on biology, philosophy, and science studies, he shows that systems are not well-bounded, that system dynamics are mutable, that boundaries are permeable, and that decision making—about both the constitution of knowledge and of society— is simultaneously constrained and facilitated by social networks. This volume is a sure remedy for sterile debates between supporters of reductionist and systemic perspectives.”—Lawrence Busch, Michigan State University
“Taylor’s book describes the ‘unruly complexity’ of ecological interactions and why they defy systems approaches to their understanding. This critique and reconstruction of ways for analysts to engage differently with socio-environmental systems is the sophisticated and carefully wrought product of Taylor’s unique trajectory through a set of experiences and case studies he has worked on and through for decades with rare perseverance and interdisciplinary rigor. This is (of necessity, perhaps) a complex and demanding book; but anyone who tries to model or understand real world ecological systems without contending with their claims and proposals is irresponsible—and also missing an intellectual treat.”—Yaakov Garb, Hebrew University and the Floersheimer Institute for Policy Studies
“Unruly Complexity contributes significantly to the society-nature literature not only through its critical attention to scientific practice and engagement with the complexity of social-ecological interaction, but because of its serious and insightful exploration of different approaches to support reflexive environmental analysis. This book is a very useful resource for social and physical scientists alike.”—Matthew Turner, University of Wisconsin
“Unruly Complexity is an extended meditation on teaching science. Juxtaposing history, philosophy, memoir, and pedagogy, the book circles around the practice of ecological modeling, coming back from one angle and then another to find better models of reflexive science. Taylor locates his own practice both inside and outside the model, reminding us of the need to simultaneously love and criticize our objects of study.”—Anna Tsing, University of California, Santa Cruz
Prologue
Part I - Modeling Ecological Complexity
1. Problems of Boundedness in Modeling Ecological Systems
A. The Construction of Complexity
B. The Hidden Complexity of Simple Models
2. Open Sites in Model Building
Part II - Interpreting Ecological Modelers in Their Complex Social Context
3. Metaphors and Allegory in the Origins of Systems Ecology
A. Social-Personal-Scientific Correlations in the Work of H. T. Odum: A First Reading
B. Another Look: Diagrams and Physical Analogies
4. Reconstructing Heterogeneous Webs in Socio-Environmental Research
A. The Simulated Future of a Salt-Affected Agricultural Region
B. An Intersection of Domains of Action that Include MIT, USAID, System Dynamics Modelers, and Nomadic Pastoralists
Part III - Engaging Reflexively Within Ecological, Scientific, and Social Complexity
5. Reflecting on Researchers' Diverse Resources
A. Further Intersections that Affect Researchers and Interpreters Extending Their Webs
B. Workshops in which Ecologists Map Their Webs of Knowledge-Making
C. Two Terms that Help Researchers Conceptualize More Complexity
6. Reasoned Understandings and Social Change in Research on Common Resources: Introducing a Framework to Keep Tensions Active, Productive, and Ever-Present
A. Researchers Conduct a Dialogue, Involving Concepts and Evidence, with the Situations Studied
B. Socially Situated Researchers Interact with Other Social Agents to Establish What Counts as Knowledge
C. Researchers Pursue Social Change by Addressing Self-Consciously the Complexities of the Situations They Study and Their Own Social Situadness
Epilogue: Three Stories
A. Participation
B. Flexible Engagement
C. Open Questions
Summary of Themes and Questions Opened Up
Glossary
Notes
References
Index
Biological Sciences: Ecology | Tropical Biology and Conservation
Earth Sciences: Environment | General Earth Sciences | History of Earth Sciences
Sociology: Demography and Human Ecology | General Sociology | Theory and Sociology of Knowledge
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