Edgar Morin

Born in 1921, sociologist Edgar Morin is one of the most influential French thinkers of his time. Best known for his theory of "complexity," Morin's work aims to highlight the complex relationships between humankind and the world, and to develop a method for understanding them. In 2007, his concern for environmental questions led him to publish L'an 1 de l'ère écologique: La Terre dépend de l'homme qui dépend de la Terre (Year One of the Ecological Era: Earth Depends on Man Who Depends on Earth). According to Morin, an ecological consciousness should be accompanied by a "politics of civilization" that establishes the primacy of human values in the economy and seeks to "regenerate cities, restore a sense of solidarity and fellowship, and reconstruct education."