UNCERTAINTY
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3669 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
The impossibility to reach a perfect knowledge of any complex system or situation.
The uncertainty problem came slowly to pervade the whole field of complexity. This is normal, considering that the multiplicity of initial conditions in complex systems leads to chaos and a high degree of unpredictability.
It offers different facets, related for ex. to the interrelations between levels of complexity and the various limitations to perception and construction of mental frames of references.
The problem is also associated with the general conditions of modeling, as shown by G. KLIR, within the frame of his reconstructibility analysis. (1991, p.350; 399-401)
E. MORIN distinguishes four different shades of uncertainty
1.Brain-mental uncertainty, which results of the process of perception , and modelization of “reality ” by the brain
2.Logical uncertainty according to which some ambiguity , complementarity or even contradiction seems to be inherent to our reconstruction of reality . BOHR's and the Copenhague interpretation in micro-physics is an example
3.Rational uncertainty due to the fuzzy border between rational explanation and fake or uncritical rationalizations
4.Psychological uncertainty due to our necessarily limited awareness of the soundness of our own mental processes (E. MORIN, 1999b, p. 82-84)