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Introduction

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This note explores the evolving relationship between simple and complex dialectics as part of a wider effort to rethink transformative social theory for the conditions of the 21st century. While classical dialectical traditions—most notably those of Hegel, Marx and Engels—provided foundational insights into contradiction, development and historical change, their later political dogmatic simplifications produced a mechanical, overly linear understanding of dialectical movement.

 

These reductive forms have proved inadequate for grasping the multi‑layered dynamics of contemporary capitalism, the emergence of global ecological limits, and the expanding role of technological systems such as artificial intelligence.

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By revisiting the deeper traditions of dialectical thought, this Note develops the concept of complex dialectical method - a mode of analysis that foregrounds non‑linearity, overdetermination, uneven development and the interplay of multiple contradictions across spatial and temporal scales.

 

Complex dialectics is presented here not only as a theoretical refinement but also as a practical framework for political action—especially when combined with neo‑Gramscian concepts of hegemony, historical blocs and transformative mediation.

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Within this relational and historical framework, the zone of 45° mediation is reinterpreted as a dialectical space of struggle rather than a neutral zone of connectivity, becoming the terrain on which horizontal civil society forces and vertical state structures confront, interact and potentially generate new systemic forms. This reconceptualisation brings the Social Ecosystem Model (SEM) into closer alignment with critical political theory and offers a richer account of how progressive organic intellectuals can shape emerging socio‑political ecosystems.

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By integrating dialectical logics with contemporary challenges—polycrisis, platform capitalism, compressed technological time, and the rise of generative AI—this Note seeks to contribute to a renewed understanding of social transformation. It positions complex dialectics as an essential resource for progressive strategy, ecosystem design, and the development of connective forms of organic intellect capable of mediating and shaping the contradictions of our historical moment.

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