Abstract
With so many terms available to define the same thing, it would seem nearly irresponsible to introduce yet another term [complex situation] that appears to describe a phenomenological state such as a system. However, complex situation infers both a broader meaning and imposes a differing perspective. Complex in this context is dependent on understanding and reality rather than observer and knowledge, and Situation imposes a gestalt that cannot be characterized within a singular perspective that relegates paradox to a hierarchically imposed primacy where the “squeaky wheel” gets the attention. This also infers that complex situation has no monotonic definition or each attempt at a definition by a singular perspective is by default incomplete. Therefore the perennial derivations for system: complex systems, system of systems, federation of systems, stochastic, chaotic, dynamic etc.… are no longer a sufficient descriptor for complex situation. Ergo system and its genealogy lack the constitution to define complex situations. To wit, this paper provides the premise for a situation and describes the conditions that make it complex sufficiently for syncretic study by discipline(s) in the proposed field of complex situations.
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Kovacic, S.F. (2013). The Gestalt Imperative: A Proposition for Understanding. In: Kovacic, S., Sousa-Poza, A. (eds) Managing and Engineering in Complex Situations. Topics in Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality, vol 21. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5515-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5515-4_5
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