THE COMPLEX REASONING PARADIGM AS A TOOL FOR ANALYZING PROBLEMS AND BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Resumo

The article outlines a model of complex reasoning based on four fundamental postulates, derived from the studies of various authors on the subject. It first gives a brief overview of the evolution of the idea of complexity, from its beginnings in psychology and sociology; it then explores the concept of cognitive complexity in more depth, starting with the foundational work of Kurt Gödel, with his study of undecidables (propositions that are accepted as true but can only be demonstrated by ascending to a more comprehensive logical level than that of the mathematical system to which they belong. Two other authors have contributed extensively to the Complex Reasoning Paradigm proposed in the article: Prigogine, with two fundamental ideas: that of the end of simple certainties in science and that of bifurcations as a path to structural changes in complex systems;and Edgar Morin, with his proposal for a complex way of thinking based on three logical operators and the integration of diversity. The article ends with an example of the cognitive advantage of applying the paradigm to the analysis and resolution of problems in complex systems such as those of knowledge societies.