Complex Systems

[dspp]

With thanks to John Kemp Reuters, a good survey paper :

https://arxiv.org/pdf/1912.05088.pdf

An Introduction to Complex Systems Science and its Applications

Alexander F. Siegenfeld1,2∗ and Yaneer Bar-Yam2
1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA and
2New England Complex Systems Institute, 277 Broadway, Cambridge, MA

The standard assumptions that underlie many conceptual and quantitative frameworks do not
hold for many complex physical, biological, and social systems. Complex systems science clarifies
when and why such assumptions fail and provides alternative frameworks for understanding the
properties of complex systems. This review introduces some of the basic principles of complex
systems science, including complexity profiles, the tradeoff between efficiency and adaptability, the
necessity of matching the complexity of systems to that of their environments, multi-scale analysis, and evolutionary processes. Our focus is on the general properties of systems as opposed to
the modeling of specific dynamics; rather than provide a comprehensive review, we pedagogically
describe a conceptual and analytic approach for understanding and interacting with the complex
systems of our world. With the exception of a few footnotes, this paper assumes only a high school
mathematical and scientific background, so that it may be accessible to academics in all fields,
decision-makers in industry, government, and philanthropy, and anyone who is interested in systems
and society.

- dspp