Restricted versus general complexity: epistemological foundations for reflexive systems practice

Purpose This article develops Edgar Morin's distinction between restricted and general complexity as an analytical framework for examining epistemological foundations in applied systems disciplines. It asks whether the epistemological commitments underlying most systems practice permit aspirations towards participation, multiple perspectives and ethical engagement to be realised meaningfully, or whether they constitute elaborations of method that leave paradigmatic assumptions intact. Design/methodology/approach The article employs Morin's framework alongside second-order cybernetics (von Foerster, Maturana, Varela) to identify four characteristic patterns of restricted complexity: decomposition as fundamental strategy, external observability, controllability through method and instrumental primacy. Systems engineering serves as a detailed case, with its highly codified international standards and professional handbooks making epistemological assumptions explicit and examinable. The analysis extends to operations research, information systems and organisational analysis. Findings Restricted complexity pervades applied systems disciplines despite methodological innovations. Even approaches explicitly addressing social and interpretive dimensions, including soft systems methodology, critical systems thinking and model-based systems engineering, have been incorporated without transforming epistemological foundations. General complexity and second-order cybernetics together provide resources for what we term reflexive systems practice, grounded in five principles: acknowledging constitutive participation, treating boundaries as enacted, engaging uncertainty as ontological, integrating multiple rationalities and cultivating ongoing ethical deliberation. Research limitations/implications The detailed case focuses on systems engineering; comparative analysis across further disciplines would test and refine the framework. Originality/value This article provides a systematic deployment of Morin's restricted/general complexity distinction as an analytical tool for examining systems methodologies, articulates previously underexplored connections between general complexity and second-order cybernetics, and grounds reflexive practice in explicit epistemological frameworks rather than pragmatic pluralism alone.