An Analytical Consideration of Ethics of Complexity and Its Conceptual Development

Ethics of complexity consists of a set of theories based on a complexity worldview, considering the relation of this worldview with, and its effect on, morality. The theories were propounded after objections to the effect of a simplicity worldview on traditional widespread moral theories, encompassing all various views offering preparations for encountering moral issues and situations. Despite their shared concepts, these views have differences too, and in each of these, one might find noteworthy or overlooked aspects necessitating a revision and development of the ethics of complexity. Thus, in this paper, we introduce ethics of complexity through a presentation of extant theories in this field, trying to reformulate and elaborate upon ethics of complexity. The elaboration is aided by shared and reliable concepts in the extant theories through a content composition in light of meta-languages of morality and complexity. It has two levels: the first level includes complex thought and self-criticizing rationality in the grand field of complexity, and is indeed a bedrock and requisite of the second level which constitutes ethics of complexity. The second level consists in a set of preparations, including three principles: “correlate existence,” “temporary command,” and “planetary benevolence” having cooperative and complimentary relations with one another. The moral agent is expected to gain a more extensive moral insight by considering these three principles and be able to act better in her moral decisions and actions.