Understanding Emergence — episode 5/5
Resources on Emergence
A collection of definitions, thinkers, and readings to deepen your understanding of emergence and complex thought.
A Glossary of Emergence
Emergence
The fundamental phenomenon by which new and complex properties and behaviors appear at the level of a system, without being present in or directly predictable from its individual components. It is the principle of "the whole being more than the sum of its parts."
Complex System
A system made up of a large number of elements interacting locally with one another. Its global behavior is often unpredictable, nonlinear, and emergent. Examples: an ecosystem, an economy, a brain.
Self-Organization
The capacity of a complex system to create order and structure spontaneously, with no central plan and no conductor. It is the "engine" of emergence.
Stigmergy
A form of indirect communication and coordination in which the actions of one individual leave a "trace" in the environment, which in turn influences the actions of other individuals. It is collective intelligence without direct communication.
Attractor
A stable state or pattern toward which a complex system tends to converge. It is a "valley" in the system's landscape of possibilities.
Phase Transition
The moment when a small change in a parameter causes a sudden, radical change of state throughout the entire system, like water turning to ice.
Fractal
A geometric or natural structure in which the same pattern repeats at different scales (self-similarity), generating infinite complexity from simple rules.
The Thinkers of Complexity
Aristotle (384–322 BCE)
The Forerunner. Greek philosopher who, in his Metaphysics, formulated for the first time the fundamental principle of emergence: "The whole is more than the sum of its parts."
Edgar Morin (born 1921)
The Synthesizer. French sociologist and philosopher, theorist of "Complex Thought," he fights against "simplifying thought" by proposing principles for grasping the world as a fabric of interdependent relations.
Suzanne Simard
The Biologist of Networks. Forest ecologist whose research demonstrated the existence of the "Wood Wide Web," the underground network through which trees communicate and collaborate.
The Explorer's Library
The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems
Author: Fritjof Capra
Ideal for getting started: A highly accessible introduction to systems thinking, explaining how these concepts apply from the cell to the planetary ecosystem.
On Complexity
Author: Edgar Morin
The conceptual handbook: A short but dense book laying out the seven key principles of complex thought. Perfect for acquiring the tools we have explored.
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World
Author: Andrea Wulf
The historical perspective: The biography of the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, one of the first to see nature as a great interdependent network, thereby founding modern ecology.
Chaos: Making a New Science
Author: James Gleick
The plunge into chaos: The book that popularized chaos theory. It tells the story of its discovery and gives a gripping account of attractors, the butterfly effect, and fractals.