Abstract
In this article I critically consider the significance of complexity theory for philosophy in light of Alain Badiou’s argument that philosophy is sustained by the four-dimensional desire for revolt, logic, universality and risk. Badiou sets his account of philosophy and desire against an assessment of the contemporary world as dominated by an obsession with merchandise, communication, specialisation and security; according to Badiou this state of affairs endangers the existence of philosophy as such in so far as it undermines the desire that is constitutive of philosophy. Badiou further argues that the dominant contemporary philosophical orientations, hermeneutics, analytical philosophy and postmodernism are too compatible with the obsessions of the contemporary world to be able to offer any resistance to it. I argue that the significance of complexity theory for philosophy should be considered in this context. I argue that while in some respects complexity theory is subject to the same deficiencies as those Badiou identifies in the dominant philosophical orientations, it allows for an interpretation that sustains the four-dimensional desire of philosophy.
I first discuss Badiou’s conception of philosophy as sustained by the four-dimensional desire for revolt, logic, universality and risk. Badiou argues that the desire of philosophy implies a dimension of revolt in so far as philosophy always instigates a confrontation with the status quo. The desire of philosophy, however, also includes logic in so far as it entails a commitment to argument and reason. Philosophy is sustained by a desire for universality in so far as it addresses all human beings as thinking beings. Finally, Badiou argues that philosophy supports independent points of view, which implies that it is open to the dimension of risk.
Badiou argues that the contemporary world is dominated by the “regime of merchandise”, the “regime of communication”, the need for specialisation and an obsession with calculating security. He argues that these forces exert a pressure on philosophy that endangers its very existence. The regime of merchandise perverts freedom into becoming a standardised and marketable commodity, thereby neutralising the desire for revolt – freedom is a function of the market, not a matter for thought; the regime of communication replaces argument and reason with a fragmented stream of images which undermine the very idea of logical coherence; the need for specialisation reduces philosophy to one specialised kind of thinking amongst others, thereby weakening its “universal address”; and the obsession with calculating security leaves no room for the risk entailed in taking a decision.
Badiou argues that, in its present state, philosophy is unable to counter the pathologies of the contemporary world. He argues that the main philosophical orientations, which he identifies as hermeneutics, analytical philosophy and postmodernism, share two basic characteristics that reconcile them with the contemporary world, namely: the view that metaphysics and truth have become irrelevant, and an emphasis on language as being the final horizon of thought. These shared points of departure make philosophy far too serviceable to the “regime of communication” and the “regime of merchandise”. Philosophy’s preoccupation with language in particular makes philosophy vulnerable to the incoherence that characterises the “regime of communication”, as well as narrowing its own scope to one field of technical specialisation among others. Therefore, Badiou argues, philosophy threatens to become nothing more than a reflection of the world, in other words, philosophy loses the distance from the world that it requires to be able to resist it.
In light of Badiou’s argument I ask whether complexity theory, given the claims that it may enrich philosophical thought in an increasingly complex world, is able to sustain the four-dimensional desire of philosophy as described by Badiou, or whether, on the contrary, it is subject to the same deficiencies Badiou identifies in the hermeneutical, analytical and postmodern orientations. I argue that in some respects complexity theory indeed fashions itself as being in step with the increasing complexity of the world, that is, as a theoretical response that is somehow suited to the speed and flux of the contemporary world. This feature of complexity theory is rooted in its focus on dynamic open systems and in the changing relations between different components of the system, rather than the components themselves. In this respect there seems to be an affinity between complexity theory and what Badiou calls the “regime of communication”. Furthermore, Paul Cilliers has explicitly argued for a resemblance between the dynamics of complex open systems and the dynamics of language as theorised by the deconstructive philosophy of Derrida.
I try to show, however, that in spite of this, complexity theory as understood by Cilliers presents us with a critical sensibility that runs counter to the obsessions of the contemporary world. I argue that this sensibility is most apparent in the emphasis Cilliers places on a certain logic of time. Cilliers argues that in order for a system to have an identity of its own, a degree of resistance to the dynamics of its environment becomes crucial. Echoing Badiou, Cilliers argues that a system that reacts to every change in its environment is in danger of becoming nothing more than a reflection of its environment. Cilliers argues that in order for a system to have an identity of its own, a degree of resistance to the dynamics of its environment becomes crucial. In order to maintain its identity a system needs to filter and interpret information coming from the environment. This is a process that takes time and that, in effect, carves out a “temporal space” that interrupts and delays the flow of information, or, to put it in Badiou’s terms, that resists the regime of communication. The notion of a temporal space that delays the interaction between system and environment not only affirms the need for philosophy to establish a distance between itself and the world, it also affirms the existence of a faculty that is not dominated by the logic of communication and interaction. I further argue that in emphasising the interrelated notions of memory, structure and boundaries, complexity theory indeed implies a commitment to revolt, logic, universality and risk.
Keywords: Alain Badiou; complexity; philosophy; postmodernism
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