Simplifying Complexity The Mathematics of War: Part 2
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Dec 11, 2023 Neil Johnson delves deeper into the power law describing war casualties. He discusses the interdisciplinary nature of complex systems research. The chapter explores excitons, crowd behavior, financial markets, and the work of Richardson in complex systems. It also explores the formation and collaboration of relationships in wars and insurgencies. Lastly, it discusses how complexity science can enhance various disciplines in understanding cities and conflicts.
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Neil Johnson's Physics to Conflict Journey
- Neil Johnson shares his journey from studying physics to exploring complex social systems like human conflict.
- His fascination began with how groups form and behave differently than individual particles, leading to models that explain collective human behavior.
Group Dynamics Explain Casualty Patterns
- Group formation and breakup dynamics produce a power-law distribution with a slope of 2.5 in conflict event sizes.
- This explains patterns seen in war casualties, independent of specific strategies or motivations.
2005 Discovery of 2.5 Power Law
- In 2005, Neil and colleagues found Iraq and Colombia conflict event casualties followed a 2.5 power law.
- They linked this to group formation and breakups, a discovery that challenged traditional views in social sciences.