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Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

110 | Neil Johnson on Complexity, Conflict, and Infodemiology

Aug 17, 2020
Neil Johnson, a Professor of Physics at George Washington University, dives into the world of complexity and information networks. He explains how self-organization occurs in systems driven by individual agendas, revealing the unpredictable nature of these interactions. The discussion also highlights how misinformation spreads like an infectious disease, impacting society and democracy. Additionally, Johnson explores the dynamics of online extremism and the power laws that govern these phenomena, shedding light on how disparate ideologies can cluster within complex systems.
01:23:33

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Quick takeaways

  • Complex systems exhibit emergent behavior and are characterized by power law behavior and interconnections between components.
  • The El Farol problem demonstrates how individual strategies in complex systems lead to crowd behavior and the importance of studying adaptive agents.

Deep dives

Defining features of complex systems

Complex systems are different from complicated systems in that they have many moving parts and exhibit emergent behavior. Complexity is characterized by power law behavior and the interconnections between components. The dynamics of complex systems can lead to surprising and unexpected outcomes, such as traffic jams or stock market crashes.

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