Complexity theory is a set of theoretical frameworks used for modeling and analyzing complex systems across various domains. The basic premise is that there is a hidden order to the behavior and evolution of complex systems, whether that system is a national economy, an ecosystem, the cosmos, an organization, or a production line. It can be used as a framework to study virtually any discipline including biology, physics, chemistry, economics, sociology and psychology.
It asserts that some systems display emergent behaviors that are completely inexplicable by any conventional analysis of the system's constituent parts. Examples of complex systems with emergent phenomena include stock market crashes, forest ecosystems, and even human consciousness.
The core book for this SDG is Notes on Complexity by Neil Theise, a 2024 Nautilus Book Award Winner and one of The Marginalian Favorite Books of 2023.
It is described on Amazon as “an electrifying introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave, that explains the interconnectedness of all things and that Deepak Chopra says, “will change the way you understand yourself and the universe.””
This is a very short book - about 160 useful pages - so we will supplement it with other materials including articles, podcasts and YouTube videos.
Weeks:
1. Defining Complexity Theory - what it is, how it differs from other approaches such as Chaos Theory Chapters 1-2
2. The rules of complexity and the adjacent possible. Chapter 3.
3. Complexity at the Cellular and Molecular levels Chapters 4-5.
4. Complexity at the Atomic and sub-atomic levels Chapters 6-7.
5. Complexity in relation to Space-Time and the Quantim Foam. Chapter 8.
6. The hard problem of consciousness, the Vienna circle and scientific empiricism. Chapters 9-10.
7. Kurt Gödel, and the limits of formal logic and the return of metaphysics. Chapters 11-12.
1. Notes on Complexity: A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, and Being
By Neil Theise, published May 2023.
2. YouTube Videos:
"Insights from Neil Theise, Author of 'Notes on Complexity'"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LENjP2_KZo)
"Neil Theise (on Complexity Theory) | Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UvszrnjAw)
"A Scientific Theory of Connection, Consciousness, & Being"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=defopoew9c0
This video features a conversation between Neil Theise and Deepak Chopra about Theise's book "Notes on Complexity" and his scientific theory of connection, consciousness, and being.
"What is Complexity Theory?" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r49Yqtrx1tU)
The first three videos are directly relevant to Neil Theise's work on complexity theory, while the last provides more general background on complexity theory.
3. Articles
https://www.quantamagazine.org/complexity-theorys-50-year-journey-to-the-limits-of-knowledge-20230817/
https://medium.com/qiskit/scott-aaronson-says-complexity-theory-is-inextricable-from-quantum-computing-18369d0bd05d
https://medium.com/@pavia1999/how-to-deal-with-complexity-be-water-f14a496388ce
https://medium.com/@sschepis/quantum-entanglement-and-the-connected-mind-unraveling-the-neural-web-0f9ad3859b4e
https://gabriel-silva.medium.com/what-is-emergence-in-complex-systems-and-how-physics-can-explain-it-d20e82f69752