Beyond the simple: there must be no simplism; but complexity!

 

Beyond the simple: there must be no simplism; but complexity!

Too often, in our discourse and sometimes in our practices, the "simple" is confused with the "simplism". However, this confusion is fraught with consequences.

The simple is not a negation of the richness of the real; on the contrary, it is a clear point of support, an indispensable nucleus of understanding. It represents what is perfectly intelligible, precise and obvious.

Simplism, on the other hand, is an error of thought: it unduly reduces complexity, obscures the richness of the interactions, paradoxes and dynamics that make up the true nature of the world. Simplism is an impoverishment, often convenient but dangerous, which obscures the essential.

Beyond the simple lies complexity: a dense network of causes and effects, of multiple and unexpected interactions, of irreducible emergences. Complexity is the real fabric of the living, social, scientific world. It is this that invites us to humility, to rigor, to openness.

To think otherwise than in terms of simplism is to accept this complexity; It is to recognize that beyond the simple, there is not a narrow view, but an irreducible depth where our knowledge can only progress with prudence, responsibility and collective intelligence.

To refuse this reality is to remain a prisoner of an obsolete paradigm, incapable of meeting the challenges of our time — whether ecological, social, or cultural.

Affirming the difference between simple, simplistic and complex is therefore a fundamental act, an urgent invitation to rethink our relationship to knowledge, reality and action.