Publications
Facing the tragedy of change in the semiotic process: the role of science Journal Article
Giampietro, Mario; Kovacic, Zora
In: International Journal of Sustainable Development, 22 (1/2), pp. 88, 2019, ISSN: 0960-1406.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Integrity and quality in science, Post-normal science, Post-truth world, Science for governance, Semiotic process, Tragedy of change
@article{Giampietro2019a,
title = {Facing the tragedy of change in the semiotic process: the role of science},
author = {Mario Giampietro and Zora Kovacic},
url = {http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=104729},
doi = {10.1504/IJSD.2019.104729},
issn = {0960-1406},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Sustainable Development},
volume = {22},
number = {1/2},
pages = {88},
abstract = {Copyright textcopyright 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. We offer an interpretation of the concepts of integrity and quality of science based on semiotics. Science is a key component of the semiotic process in society, its role being the selection of representations of relevant events for guiding policy with the ultimate goal of preserving society's identity. The fitness of scientific information depends on the definition of its usefulness and relevance, and, therefore, on the identity of the 'self' of the semiotic process. Several distinct definitions of identity co-exist that are negotiated across levels (individuals, households, communities). Growing feelings of belonging to a post-truth world signal a failure in the preservation of the integrity of the semiotic process: scientific crises are coupled with social and political crises in an impredicative way. It is concluded that science should evolve from being a mere source of facts to a source of insights about how to deal with the tragedy of change.},
keywords = {Integrity and quality in science, Post-normal science, Post-truth world, Science for governance, Semiotic process, Tragedy of change},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Copyright textcopyright 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. We offer an interpretation of the concepts of integrity and quality of science based on semiotics. Science is a key component of the semiotic process in society, its role being the selection of representations of relevant events for guiding policy with the ultimate goal of preserving society's identity. The fitness of scientific information depends on the definition of its usefulness and relevance, and, therefore, on the identity of the 'self' of the semiotic process. Several distinct definitions of identity co-exist that are negotiated across levels (individuals, households, communities). Growing feelings of belonging to a post-truth world signal a failure in the preservation of the integrity of the semiotic process: scientific crises are coupled with social and political crises in an impredicative way. It is concluded that science should evolve from being a mere source of facts to a source of insights about how to deal with the tragedy of change.
Perception and Representation of the Resource Nexus at the Interface between Society and the Natural Environment Journal Article
Giampietro, Mario
In: Sustainability, 10 (7), pp. 2545, 2018, ISSN: 2071-1050.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Buzzword, Complex systems, Metabolic pattern, Relational analysis, Resource nexus, Semiotic process, Social-ecological system
@article{Giampietro2018a,
title = {Perception and Representation of the Resource Nexus at the Interface between Society and the Natural Environment},
author = {Mario Giampietro},
url = {http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/7/2545},
doi = {10.3390/su10072545},
issn = {2071-1050},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-07-01},
journal = {Sustainability},
volume = {10},
number = {7},
pages = {2545},
abstract = {Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the resource nexus. This has created the co-existence of different understandings and uses of the concept. In this regard, experiences in the EU H2020 project ‘Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security' are consistent with findings reported in the literature: (i) The inconvenient message of the nexus is difficult to get across, it being incompatible with the currently dominant rosy narratives about sustainability. Indeed, from a historic perspective, the nexus can be seen as a revival of the ideological fight between cornucopians and neo-Malthusians; (ii) Silo structures in existing institutions are a problem for the governance of the nexus, and so is the resulting reductionist strategy of addressing and fixing one issue at the time; (iii) Scientific inquiry is currently not providing the quality inputs needed for a meaningful discussion of the resource nexus. Entanglement of resource flows is rooted in the complex metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems, the analysis of which requires a complex systems approach and relational analysis. Contemporary reductionist models simply make the nexus invisible to the analyst.},
keywords = {Buzzword, Complex systems, Metabolic pattern, Relational analysis, Resource nexus, Semiotic process, Social-ecological system},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in the resource nexus. This has created the co-existence of different understandings and uses of the concept. In this regard, experiences in the EU H2020 project ‘Moving towards adaptive governance in complexity: Informing nexus security' are consistent with findings reported in the literature: (i) The inconvenient message of the nexus is difficult to get across, it being incompatible with the currently dominant rosy narratives about sustainability. Indeed, from a historic perspective, the nexus can be seen as a revival of the ideological fight between cornucopians and neo-Malthusians; (ii) Silo structures in existing institutions are a problem for the governance of the nexus, and so is the resulting reductionist strategy of addressing and fixing one issue at the time; (iii) Scientific inquiry is currently not providing the quality inputs needed for a meaningful discussion of the resource nexus. Entanglement of resource flows is rooted in the complex metabolic pattern of social-ecological systems, the analysis of which requires a complex systems approach and relational analysis. Contemporary reductionist models simply make the nexus invisible to the analyst.
AGAUR Grant ID 2017 SGR 230 / Copyright © 2023