Save the Infant Prodigy! Give Innovation the Chance to Flourish

Edgar Morin, who was present on video at the “Entretiens de Margaux” (26-27 September 2007) and whom we met subsequently in Paris, points out a paradoxical situation. Hierarchical organizations and institutions call for innovation and claim to manage it, yet “real” innovation remains a deviant phenomenon that emerges at the margins, arousing incredulity, if not downright hostility, unless it manages to escape these confines and turn itself into a transformative force. This paradox applies to Edgar Morin’s contribution itself. He is widely recognized today, but the style of thinking he champions – the systemic thinking without which we cannot grasp the complexity of major problems – remains a minority practice by comparison with binary reductionism. The interdisciplinary approach that thinking implies is fiercely contested by the mandarins. This illustrates the difficulties encountered by all innovation. Because they cannot be confined to any single category – philosophy, sociology or history – Edgar Morin’s writings still irritate a lot of thinkers and alarm many critics who operate only in terms of monodisciplinary labels. His thought goes to the very heart of the range of issues around change and innovation in a world held in check by its own self-maintained cultural drag factors.