Edgar Morin is a French philosopher and sociobiologist who was born in Paris on July 8, 1921 under his original name Edgar Nahoum. He is of Judeo-Spanish origin (Sefardi). He his known for the transdisciplinarity of his works, in that he covers a wide range of interests and dismisses the conventional boundaries between academic disciplines. A philosopher is a person who thinks deeply regarding people, society, the world, and/or the universe. ... Sociobiology is a branch of biology and also sociology that attempts to throw light upon behavior in both human and non-human societies in terms of evolutionary advantage or strategy. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur Tossed by the waves, she does not founder Coordinates : , Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Département Paris (75) Région ÃŽle-de-France Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (PS) City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 86. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal: ספרד, Standard Hebrew Səfárad, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄áraḏ / Səp̄āraḏ), or whose ancestors were among the Jews expelled from... Transdisciplinarity is a principle of scientific research that describes the application of scientific approaches to problems that transcend the boundaries of conventional academic disciplines. ... This is a list of academic disciplines (and academic fields). ...

Early years

As a boy, Morin enjoyed reading, cinema, aviation and cycling. He began his work in philosophy with a study of the diverse types of illustration from the 17th Century. He first became tied to socialism in connection with the Popular Front and the Spanish Republican Government en the Spanish Civil War. In 1940 he fled to Tolousse when the Germans invaded and dedicated himself to help refugees and to go deeper into Marxist socialism. He took part in the French Resistance and joined the Communist Party in 1941, which was persecuted by the Gestapo. He participated in the liberation of Paris in August 1944 and the following year, he married Violette Chapellaubeau and they lived in Landau working as a Lieutenant in the French Occupation army in Germany. (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing political parties (the Communists, the Socialists and the Radicals), which was in government in France from 1936 to 1938. ... Combatants Spanish Republic CNT UGT POUM Soviet Union International Brigades Spanish State Falangists Carlists Fascist Italy Nazi Germany Commanders Manuel Azaña Francisco Largo Caballero Juan Negrín Francisco Franco The Spanish Civil War, which lasted from July 17, 1936 to April 1, 1939, was a conflict in which the... Bold textItalic textLink title // Headline text Headline text Headline text == The cross of Lorraine used by the French Resistance as a symbolic reference to Joan of Arc. ... In modern usage, a communist party is a political party which promotes communism, the sociopolitical ideology based on Marxism. ...

In 1946, he returned to Paris and gave up his military career to pursue his activities with the Communist party. Due to his critical posture his relationship with the party gradually deteriorated until he was expelled in 1951 after he published an article in Le Nouvel Observateur (then known as France-observateur). In the same year he was admitted into the National Center of Scientific Investigation (CNRS) with the recommendation of several intellectuals. Le Nouvel Observateur (often shorten to Le Nouvel Obs) is a weekly French newsmagazine. ...

Philosophical development

On joining the CNRS, Morin entered the field of social anthropology in the area of cinematography, moving into surrealism although he still had not abandoned socialism. He shared ideas with Franco Fortini and Roberto Guiducci, similar to Hebert Marcuse and other philosophers. He founded and directed the magazine Arguments (1954-1962). During the same period he was active in protesting the French involvement in the Algerian War of Independence. In 1959 his book Autocritique was published. Cultural anthropology, also called social anthropology or socio-cultural anthropology, is one of four commonly recognized fields of anthropology, the holistic study of humanity. ... Kay Sage. ... Herbert Marcuse Herbert Marcuse (July 19, 1898 – July 29, 1979) was a prominent German-American philosopher and sociologist of the Frankfurt School. ... Combatants FLN Algeria France The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was a period of guerrilla strikes, maquis fighting, terrorism against civilians on both sides, and riots between the French army and colonists, or the colons as they were called, in French special département Algeria and the FLN (Front...

In 1960, Morin travelled extensively in Latin America, visiting Brasil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Mexico. The indigenous and Afro-Brasilian culture made a strong impression on him. He returned to France where he published L'Esprit du Temps.

Beginning in 1965 he became involved in a large multidisciplinary project, financed by the Délégation Générale à la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (DGRST) en Plozevet. He spent 1965 doing investigation (along with his collaboraters) while living in a rustic cabin in Poulhan. Two years later when the results were released, Morin was labeled a heretic by the DGRST due to the transdisciplinary nature of the work. This contributed to his increasing aversion to the academic world in Paris and he spent more and more time working outside of the city. Transdisciplinarity is a principle of scientific research that describes the application of scientific approaches to problems that transcend the boundaries of conventional academic disciplines. ...

In 1968 Morin replaced Henri Lefebvre in the University of Nanterre. He became involved in the student revolts that began to emerge in France. In May 1968 he wrote a series of articles for Le Monde that tried to understand what he called "The Student Commune." He followed the student revolt closely and wrote a second series of articles in Le Monde called "The Revolution without a Face" as well as co-authoring Mai 68: La brèche with Cornelius Castoriadis and Claude Lefort. Henri Lefebvre, born June 16, 1901, died 1991 was a French Marxist sociologist, intellectual and philosopher. ... Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper with a circulation in 2002 of 389,200. ... A May 1968 poster: Be young and shut up, with the stereotypical silhouette of the General de Gaulle. ... Cornelius Castoriadis (Greek: Κορνήλιος Καστοριάδης) (March 11, 1922-December 26, 1997) was born in Constantinople (Istanbul) and his family moved soon after to Athens. ... Claude Lefort was born in 1924 and was politically active by 1942 under the influence of his tutor, the phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty (whose posthumous publications Lefort later edited). ...

In 1969 Morin spent a year at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. While at the institute, he became familiar with the revolution in genetics initiated by the discovery of DNA which contributed to his views on cybernetics, information theory and a theory of systems. Salk Institute Salk Institute The Salk Institute for Biological Studies is an independent non-profit educational research organization in La Jolla, California. ... Genetics (from the Greek genno γεννώ= give birth) is the science of genes, heredity, and the variation of organisms. ...

In 1983 he published De la nature de l’URSS which deepened his analysis of Soviet communism and anticipated the Perestroika of Mikhail Gorbachev. Poster showing Mikhail Gorbachev Perestroika ( , Russian: ) is the Russian word (which passed into English) for the economic reforms introduced in June 1987 by the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. ... (Russian: , Mihail Sergeevič Gorbačëv, IPA: , commonly anglicized as Gorbachev; born March 2, 1931) was leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. ...

Morin's epistemological work can be seen as "revolutionary" because of his attempt to reconsider the relation-triangle : ideology-politics-science through what he calls "complexity". The "complex" being here not the opposite of simple but a "method" which "respects the mystery" of the universe knowing that "the simple is just, allways, something simplified" by someONE. This titanic effort can be discovered in his quest of "La methode" with its six volumes. Not only a scientific project but also a complex-message comming from the heart of the 20th century...

Literary Work

• 1951, L’Homme et la mort
• 1969, La Rumeur d’Orléans
• La Méthode (6 volumes)
  • 1977, La Nature de la nature
  • 1980, La Vie de la vie
  • 1986, La Connaissance de la connaissance
  • 1991, Les Idées
  • 2001, L’Humanité de l’humanité
  • 2004, L'Éthique complexe
• 1970, Journal de Californie
• 1973, Le paradigme perdu: la nature humaine
• 1981, Pour sortir du siècle XX
• 1982, Science avec conscience
• 1983, De la nature de l’URSS
• 1990, Introduction à la pensée complexe
• 1993, Terre-patrie
• 1994, Mes démons
• 1994, La Complexité humaine
• 1997, Comprendre la complexité dans les organisations de soins
• 1999, L’Intelligence de la complexité
• 1999, Relier les connaissances
• 1999, La Tête bien faite
• 2000, Les Sept savoirs nécessaires à l'éducation du futur
• 2001, Journal de Plozévet, Bretagne
• 2002, Pour une politique de civilisation
• 2002, Dialogue sur la connaissance. Entretiens avec des lycéens
• 2003, La Violence du monde
• 2003, Éduquer pour l’ère planétaire, la pensée complexe comme méthode d’apprentissage dans l’erreur et l’incertitude humaine
• 2003, Les Enfants du ciel : entre vide, lumière, matière
• 2004, Pour Entrer dans le siècle XXI

1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Sociobiology
• Anthropology
• Transdisciplinarity
• Holism in science
• Epistemology

Sociobiology is a synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain behaviour in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages of social behaviours. ... Anthropology (from the Greek word άνθρωπος, human or person) consists of the study of humanity (see genus Homo). ... Transdisciplinarity is a principle of scientific research that describes the application of scientific approaches to problems that transcend the boundaries of conventional academic disciplines. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Knowledge. ...

Sources

• Biography on edgarmorin.org
• The Persecution of Edgar Morin by Doug Ireland
• Popular Culture and Mass Culture -- A War of Opposition by Jill Forbes]
• Brief bio for First World Conference on the Future of Science