The Dissenter

#1088 Karoline Wiesner: What Is a Complex System?

Apr 24, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Dr. Karoline Wiesner, a Professor of Complexity Sciences at the University of Potsdam, dives into the world of complex systems. She explores the history of complexity science and its intersection with diverse fields like biology and economics. Listeners will be intrigued by the self-organizing behaviors in ant colonies and the emergent properties of economies. The conversation further delves into how complexity science relates to consciousness and offers insights on tackling global challenges, making it a thought-provoking listen!
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INSIGHT

Origins and Nature of Complexity Science

  • Complexity science is a recent science, emerging mainly in the 1980s from fields like dynamical systems, cybernetics, and computer science.
  • It studies systems of many interacting elements leading to emergent behaviors not found in individual parts.
INSIGHT

Foundations in Related Sciences

  • Cybernetics, systems theory, and dynamical systems theory underpin complexity science by identifying universal principles across different systems.
  • Complexity science merges these fields to study diverse systems with common mathematical models and concepts.
INSIGHT

Core Features of Complex Systems

  • Complex systems exhibit features like spontaneous order, non-linearity, robustness, nested structures, history, and adaptive behavior.
  • Their key characteristic is many interacting components whose collective behavior emerges from these interactions.
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