Complexity Science as an Aspect of the Complexity of Science

How can we treat science as an object of scientific inquiry? The central problem arises with that question. Science has tried to rid itself of circularity and in so doing has become a very limited method for examining the complex world it tries to have us understand. Self reference is at the center of so many of the interesting thing we want to understand including and especially life itself. The existence of this self referential character is the essence of what we have come to call “complexity”. The works of Robert Rosen [1, 2, 3] spell this out in great detail. This series of investigations began over a half century ago yet still remains virtually unrecognized by the vast majority of those who call themselves “scientists”. That fact alone can be a springboard to launch a study of science as an object, which is what this study is all about. I have reviewed the technical aspects of Rosen’s work elsewhere [4] and will consider the broader philosophical implications here. Using the ideas Rosen developed, we can begin with the following working definition of complexity: