Synthesis in science and society – part A Michael Raupach 1,2 1 Climate Change Institute, Australian National University, Canberra 2 Global Carbon Project, Future Earth ACEAS Symposium, 7 May 2014 Thanks: colleagues in • Institutional environments (CSIRO, ANU) • International environments (Future Earth, Global Carbon Project) • Project environments (Australia 2050, PMSEIC, AAS Climate Q&A)
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Prof. Michael Raupach "Synthesis in science and society" ACEAS Grand 2014 part A
Keynote address ACEAS Grand Workshop 2014 - first part
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Synthesis in science and society – part A
Michael Raupach1,2
1Climate Change Institute, Australian National University, Canberra2Global Carbon Project, Future Earth
ACEAS Symposium, 7 May 2014
Thanks: colleagues in
• Institutional environments (CSIRO, ANU)
• International environments (Future Earth, Global Carbon Project)
• Traditional tools: observation, experiment, modelling
• Tools for synthesis: complexity, evolution, emergence, narratives
• Objective science and subjective values
• Synthesis as story: bridging between the objective and the subjective
What is synthesis?
“Seeing the big picture”
What is synthesis?
“Seeing the big picture”
Describing, understanding and governing a complex system
• Accounting for interactions between modular system elements
=> Modularity, hierarchyFocus on linkages more than on module-level detail
• Importance of defining the system and its boundary
=> What’s an external driver, what’s an internal response or feedback
What is synthesis?
“Seeing the big picture”
Describing, understanding and governing a complex system
• Accounting for interactions between modular system elements
=> Modularity, hierarchyFocus on linkages more than on module-level detail
• Importance of defining the system and its boundary
=> What’s an external driver, what’s an internal response or feedback
The current grand challenge: a synthesised perspective on nature and humanity as a single Earth System
Why attempt synthesis?
Antidote to reductionism?
• But reduction helps us modularise, so is essential for synthesis
Understanding the whole system is the challenge; understanding components is a means to that end
Many phenomena are emergent: they exist at system level but not component level a wave (sound, ocean, Mexican) weather, climate an ecosystem (structure, function) a human being (body, mind, spirit) a novel, poem, song, symphony, artwork a human society: health, wellbeing an economy climate change, sustainability
A holistic story has power: explanative, persuasive
Why attempt synthesis?
Antidote to reductionism?
• But reduction helps us modularise, so is essential for synthesis
Why attempt synthesis?
Antidote to reductionism?
• But reduction helps us modularise, so is essential for synthesis
Understanding the whole system is the challenge; understanding components is a means to that end
Why attempt synthesis?
Antidote to reductionism?
• But reduction helps us modularise, so is essential for synthesis
Understanding the whole system is the challenge; understanding components is a means to that end
Many phenomena are emergent: they exist at system level but not component level a wave (sound, ocean, Mexican) weather, climate an ecosystem (structure, function) a human being (body, mind, spirit) a novel, poem, song, symphony, artwork a human society: health, wellbeing an economy climate change, sustainability
Why attempt synthesis?
Antidote to reductionism?
• But reduction helps us modularise, so is essential for synthesis
Understanding the whole system is the challenge; understanding components is a means to that end
Many phenomena are emergent: they exist at system level but not component level a wave (sound, ocean, Mexican) weather, climate an ecosystem (structure, function) a human being (body, mind, spirit) a novel, poem, song, symphony, artwork a human society: health, wellbeing an economy climate change, sustainability
A holistic story has power: explanative, persuasive