A New Way of Thinking and a New World View: On the Philosophy of Self-Organisation

Discussions about paradigm shifts in science and the world picture on the threshold of a new millennium are already commonplace. However, what exactly do they mean? This paper stresses that changes in thought are a response to changes in the social conditions of life. A distinction is drawn between ways of thinking and world views. The focus is on the methodological, ontological and praxiological assumptions that are required for the new sciences of complexity to help meet the global challenges facing humankind as the new millennium begins.