Getting To Maybe (part 1)
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Also just started on “Getting To Maybe – How the World is Changed“, which talks about engendering social change from the point of view of complexity theory. Liking it so far, it’s written in an almost poetic style, but one that remains very readable. Talks about the difference between simple problems (e.g. ‘bake a cake’), complicated problems (e.g. ‘send a rocket to the moon’) and complex problems (e.g. ‘raise a child’). There is a fundamental difference between the first two and the last one, in that the first two basically involve following a set of pre-defined steps to reach a desired outcome. However, the last involves a feedback system – each child is a unique individual, existing in a complex web of interdependent relationships, and cannot be treated like a deterministic system.
There are some common threads running through all my reading material right now:
- The modern/postmodern divide.
- Networks versus Hierarchies.
- Emergent behaviour.
- Complex systems.
I’m looking forward to seeing where all this goes.
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