Emergent emergencies in complex ecosystems : reflections on the limits of narrative cognition and a revisiting of Michael Crichtonâs Jurassic Park (1990)
Scherr, Alexander
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URN: urn:nbn:de:hebis:26-opus-120606
URL: http://geb.uni-giessen.de/geb/volltexte/2016/12060/
Freie Schlagwörter (Englisch):
emergence , narrative , narrative cognition , ecosystem, ecology , chaos theory , Jurassic Park (Michael Crichton)
Universität
Justus-Liebig-UniversitĂ€t GieĂen
Institut:
International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture
Fachgebiet:
GieĂener Graduiertenzentrum Kulturwissenschaften
DDC-Sachgruppe:
Sozialwissenschaften, Soziologie
Dokumentart:
Aufsatz
Zeitschrift, Serie:
On_Culture : the Open Journal for the Study of Culture
; 1
ISBN / ISSN:
2856008-5
Sprache:
Englisch
Erstellungsjahr:
2016
Publikationsdatum:
30.05.2016
Kurzfassung auf Englisch:
This article argues that âemergent emergenciesâ in complex natural systems or âeco-systemsâ can be understood as the ethical consequences of cognitive failure or âepis-temological errorâ (Gregory Bateson). More specifically, I hold that complex systems display emergent behaviors, and that narrative cognition â our human default way of making sense of the world â is not particularly well suited for understanding emer-gence. Building on previous narratological work on the incompatibility of narrative and emergence (H. Porter Abbott, Richard Walsh), I argue further that narrative think-ing and complex systems are each characterized by distinct types of âagency,â or ways of conceptualizing agency. In its second half, the essay turns to Michael Crichtonâs classic Jurassic Park (1990), reading the novel as a fictional thought experiment which not only simulates an emergency situation, but also explores the reasons for the collapsing of the control system in the fictional theme park from the vantage of chaos theory. It will be shown that the emergent emergency staged in the novel is the result of cognitive failure on the part of the park managers, who are misled by a ânarrative of centralized controlâ (Abbott) in their attempts to control the park and a reductionist conceptualization of âlife.â Such reductionist approaches to life are contrasted with ecological frameworks in this article.1
Lizenz:
Creative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0