Towards the Other Side of Complexity: Values and Decisions in a Time of Uncertainty

Abstract

Humanity is experiencing a moment of great uncertainty. This is not the first time a pandemic threatens the lives of millions of people. However, the speed with which governments and scientists are reacting to events is unprecedented. In an incredibly short time after the discovery of the virus, public health measures were implemented, and the development of defences in the form of public policies, medical therapies, and vaccines began. At this precarious moment, when the proliferation of information (and misinformation) from a variety of sources contribute to the spread of panic, universities and the scientific community emerge as the best and most reliable sources of information. It is only highly qualified specialists who can truly address the pandemic and its terrible economic, political, and public health consequences. Paradoxically, this pandemic has been a game changer in terms of the public perception of higher education institutions (HEI), which have lately been under constant attack in many countries. In Brazil, for example, there is an agenda to discredit public universities and the sciences through fake news and undermine them through budget cuts. The current crisis now underscores the importance of research universities and institutes for the future of the country and the world to face this and future threats. While the importance of higher education is starting to be appreciated again, HEIs still face major internal challenges and new problems every day. Even without clear answers, decisions must be made, and one will only know in the future how to assess these decisions. In fact, as I am writing this text, the future is very uncertain. During this world crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the outlook has become even more nebulous. Today, we simply do not know how or when the Covid19 pandemic will end or how it will change the way we live on our planet. Even with so many uncertainties, M. Knobel (B)