An Introduction to Complex Systems Science and Its Applications
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Author(s)
Siegenfeld, Alexander F.
Bar-Yam, Yaneer
Date Issued
July 2020
Journal
Complexity
Publisher
Hindawi Limited
Citation
Siegenfeld, Alexander F. and Yaneer Bar-Yam, “An Introduction to Complex Systems Science and Its Applications,” Complexity (July 2020): 6105872. © 2020 Alexander F. Siegenfeld and Yaneer Bar-Yam
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The standard assumptions that underlie many conceptual and quantitative frameworks do not hold for many complex physical, biological, and social systems. Complex systems science clarifies when and why such assumptions fail and provides alternative frameworks for understanding the properties of complex systems. This review introduces some of the basic principles of complex systems science, including complexity profiles, the tradeoff between efficiency and adaptability, the necessity of matching the complexity of systems to that of their environments, multiscale analysis, and evolutionary processes. Our focus is on the general properties of systems as opposed to the modeling of specific dynamics; rather than provide a comprehensive review, we pedagogically describe a conceptual and analytic approach for understanding and interacting with the complex systems of our world. This paper assumes only a high school mathematical and scientific background so that it may be accessible to academics in all fields, decision-makers in industry, government, and philanthropy, and anyone who is interested in systems and society.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics
Terms of Use
Attribution 4.0 International
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/6105872
