Thinking in systems
What a complex system is
In shortMany parts affecting each other, with no one in charge, a memory of the past and the ability to adapt.
The idea
A complex system has many parts that influence each other, keeps a record of its history and adapts. There is no centre that controls everything. David Krakauer, of the Santa Fe Institute, describes complexity science as the study of systems that learn from the past and act with purpose: cells, brains, families, schools, societies. A child is one of these systems, inside others.
What to try
- Be wary of single-cause explanations, especially when they promise a single solution.
- Look at several levels at once: the body, the person, the relationship, the place.
- Expect surprises: in a complex system the same action can have different effects on different days.
The common mistake
Treating a person as a simple machine: find the broken part and replace it.
Want to know more?
Start here
Short, plain pieces by the researchers and good writers.
Books
The best accessible introduction to complex systems.
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The science behind itHow strong the evidence is, the model, videos and references.
How strong the evidence is
A way of thinking A lens for interpreting what a child does, not a rule from trials.
Krakauer organises complexity into four pillars: entropy and information, evolution, dynamics and computation; complex systems are ‘problem-solving matter’ that encodes regularities of the environment and uses them to act. Anderson (1972) argued that each level of organisation has its own laws (‘more is different’). For formulation: describe processes at several levels and their interactions, avoid reducing to one level (genes, neurotransmitters, ‘the amygdala’) or to a category, and treat variability as information.
More technical books
The foundations of complexity science, by the president of the Santa Fe Institute.
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Videos
External videos, chosen because they agree with these ideas. Bounded Uncertainty has no link to the channels.
References
- Anderson, P. W. (1972). More is different. Science, 177(4047), 393–396.
- Krakauer, D. C. (Ed.) (2019). Worlds Hidden in Plain Sight. SFI Press.
- Mitchell, M. (2009). Complexity: A Guided Tour. Oxford University Press.
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