File:700 LOdyséee-de-la-trace-1 Galinon-Mélénec-pdf.jpg

English: The use of the term “trace” is associated with many very old and ancient practices ¬(traces of passage, heritage traces, etc.), but also with more specifically current contexts, such as that of the digital society. The question of the origin of a trace has always been of particular interest to certain professionals¬: the investigator in pursuit of a criminal, the doctor researching symptoms, the archaeologist wishing to reconstruct the lifestyles of ancient civilizations, historians seeking to retrace the path of humans over the centuries, astrophysicists watching for gravitational waves, the tax inspector, etc.

Today, more and more social actors in society (individuals, organizations, public institutions) are taking the concept of "conséquences-traces" (Galinon-Mélénec) into account in their activities, particularly as the digital society opens up other forms of presence in the world.

The term "conséquences-traces "is used in its original French to indicate that what is written is integrally bound to the concept of “trace” seen through the angle of its consequences. Similarly, each time a phrase includes the term “trace”, it will be written in French, indicating a terminology specific to the paradigm of "Homme-trace" (Ichnos-Anthropos in Greek, Human-Trace in English). This approach implies an understanding in terms of the interactions of complex systems based on the concept of "conséquences-traces". Concepts like "Homme-trace", and "conséquences-traces", is extensively developed throughout the book.