Understanding the Complexity of Human Conflict

Human conflict is a complex system with diverse reasons and terrains. While there is great diversity in why people fight and where wars take place, a complex systems view reveals common themes. Professor Neil Johnson explores human conflict in different eras, starting with the pre-internet era. He discusses Lewis Fry Richardson, a scientist who collected casualties data during World War I and uncovered patterns. Richardson found a power law distribution with a slope of 1.8, indicating that large wars are scaled-up versions of smaller ones. This power law reveals the collective behavior and feedback mechanisms that contribute to the unpredictability and fat-tailed nature of conflicts.