Each person has their own vision of the facts, in addition to being influenced and, why not say it, indoctrinated by the principles in which, unconsciously, their educational center, their social group or family have immersed them.
Morality is something that varies a lot depending on where you were born, but the truth is that, with the development of society as we know it today, it seems that local morality is no longer something so solid and valid. like before.
Within the philosophy of Edgar Morin The idea of opting for a more holistic vision of the facts is proposed, both in terms of scientific knowledge and ethic-moral perception, and understanding that more than differentiated cultures, we are part of an enormous planetary culture.
Within his theory of complex thinking he tries to explain how this vision should be promoted, and this article is focused on trying to explain his proposal in greater detail.
The notion of complex thinking 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 acquiring 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 greater the complexity, the more details about the society in which one lives have to be taken into account. The person should not think reducing what he is experiencing, nor should he opt for 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 carefully reflect on the information they receive. This reflective capacity is what Morin called complex thinking
Complex thinking is, in essence, a strategy that has a globalizing intention, that is, it tries to encompass all the phenomena that are present, but taking into account their particularities as different events that they are. This concept is totally contrary to that of simplifying thinking, which unifies all knowledge into a single vision, nullifying the possible diversity that exists and directing the person, be it the student or the teacher himself, to a ‘blind intelligence’.
The term complexity, within the thought of Edgar Morin, can be represented as a kind of great network, whose thin threads intertwine and relate its components. Threads are events, actions, interactions, feedbacks, determinations, chances that make up the world.
Complex thinking addresses issues, both profound and banal, such as concern about where the human species is going, the social problems that arise every decade and how these can be resolved with adequate education.
Complex thinking is not something innate We must educate ourselves on it and promote its application. The philosopher specializing in pedagogy Matthew Lipman believed that it was extremely necessary to instill this type of thinking in children at an early age. Complex thinking has the remarkable characteristic of not accepting a fact as something categorical and undoubtedly credible, but rather promoting the search for other options, exploring and seeing to what extent what is perceived is true or not.
The seven basic knowledge for the education of the future
Edgar Morin believes that education should be aimed at encouraging reflection in its students. Students should not accept facts as undoubtedly true, but rather should search, as if they were authentically using the scientific method, for possible alternative explanations to the knowledge learned.
Thus, in 1999, Morin proposed the seven basic knowledge or 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 in 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 a historical moment are taken as truth and, after being investigated again, are refuted.
Knowledge is something that evolves and, therefore, can be very relative and fragile. That is why students must be taught that what they are learning is something that can accept changes over time, and that they are not absolute truths.
Therefore, one must be critical of one’s own knowledge.
2. Ensure relevant knowledge
This principle, especially important in the era of new technologies, refers to the importance of knowing how to carefully select the bombardment of data and information that we receive
It must be detected which is the truthful information, with expert opinion behind it. It is also important to understand what real problems are and what type of information is appropriate to be able 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 it.
3. Teach 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
You must know how to appreciate cultural diversity and not try to homogenize humanity, but also understand that everyone has the same rights and obligations.
People must be contextualized based on the situation they have had to live through, not as something undoubtedly inseparable from them.
4. Teach earthly identity
Related to the previous point, it must be understood that the thousands of years of human history have witnessed how what at first should have been the same ethnic group, a pristine culture, has expanded and fragmented into many others.
However, thanks to the emergence of technology, whether through intercontinental transportation or computer networks, it is possible to establish contact very easily with people from cultures radically different from one’s own.
It is necessary to understand that the development of humanity must be promoted not only in economic terms but also, and thanks to the appearance of the aforementioned technologies, promote intellectual, emotional and moral development worldwide.
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 megaculture, has always been very much left aside.
5. Face uncertainties
Uncertainty, in itself, does not have to be a good thing or a bad thing Students must be taught that history will always face a situation of uncertainty, in which the next phase may involve a breakthrough or, on the contrary, a true catastrophe.
History, just as has happened to biological evolution, is not something linear. It advances through detours and shortcuts, which can make great progress at one moment and, at another, seem like a return to the starting point.
The chance and lack of control of the entire system is undoubtedly something typical of the human condition.
This, in turn, applies to knowledge, which can also be uncertain. It may be that what was discovered really is not as true as believed when data appears that refutes it.
6. Teach understanding
Understanding must be fostered both within the group itself (ingroup) and in relation to people from different groups whether in cultural, linguistic, religious or any other kind of terms.
It is very important to understand that understanding and communication are not synonyms. Although there are new technologies that 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 when it comes 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 several of its qualities, given that, in reality, these are multiple and complex.
7. The ethics of the human race
Ethics must be promoted not only in individual terms, that is, each person has a respectful moral towards others, but also The idea that one’s own group behaves morally when establishing contact with others is also encouraged
Furthermore, the creation and teaching of ethics valid for the entire human race must 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 greatest exponent of this principle is to make democracy common in all countries in the world.
This democracy should not be synonymous with the dictatorship of the majority, but rather should constitute a form of government in which, although some will have a greater voice, the multiple opinions of its citizens are respected and listened to.
