Excerpt

During every US presidential primary season, we watch as the political fortunes of individual candidates rise and fall, seemingly without regard to whether a candidate has the skills, character, or ideological foundations to govern productively. To the casual observer, the process looks like unmitigated chaos. Inevitably, this political circus results in nominees and, after the general election, a winner—someone who serves as our president for four years—even if we don’t all agree with the choice.

Messy, yes. But when you think about it, our political system is a remarkable outcome of human sociality. We intentionally create social chaos to achieve social order. What forces underlie this process? Perhaps most important, does it—can it—result in wise choices?

How Order Emerges

The study of complex systems, like all of science, is a search for order. Traditionally, science seeks order by understanding the simplest parts of a system. How does a single gas particle behave given a certain temperature? Which gene in our DNA determines eye color? Scientists then try to develop theories that explain more general observations based on their detailed understanding of the individual parts.

Complex systems science is different. It seeks order by understanding how simple parts, interacting together and perhaps adapting to one another, create an entirely new whole. The collective outcomes of complex systems can be surprising because the parts often don’t add up as expected.

BACK TO Worlds Hidden in Plain Sight