Complexity Primer

To unravel complexity requires us to prime our minds with a common repertoire of concepts.

Quick Reference on all Primer topics#

Written and reviewed by Students in Unravelling Complexity.

Network visualisation of Primer content#

Go and Investigate!#

Adaptive systems#

systems that adapt to external changes

Attractors#

Primer contribution:
</p>

areas that systems tend towards

Behaviour#

the shape of the output of a system

Black swans#

a metaphor for events that come as a surprise

Chaos#

where the approximate future cannot be predicted

Co-Design#

where a system/society/situation declines

Cognitive bias#

systematic non-normal judgement

Collapse#

where a system/society/situation declines

Collective behaviour#

spontaneous behaviour of a group

Complex Adaptive Systems#

where a system/society/situation declines

Conceptual metaphor#

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describing one thing in terms of another

Conspiracy#

the situation around a problem of interest

Context#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the situation around a problem of interest

Context#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the situation around a problem of interest

Country#

Primer contribution:
</p>

for Indigenous Australians, the culture, nature and the land

  • Bruce Pascoe on Aboriginal agriculture Radio National{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • NITV’s coverage of Nat’s Journey to Country NITV{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • ABC’s Education package on Vincent Lingiari ABC Website{.link-ext target=”_blank”} ABC News Timeline{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Crisis#

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an unstable or dangerous situation

  • Costanza’s After the Crisis: two possible futures PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Wikipedia page on Crisis{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Culture#

the social behaviour of human societies see also Living Culture

  • Wikipedia page on Culture{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Understanding Environmental Values: A Cultural Theory Approach PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Cynefin framework#

Primer contribution:
</p>

a mapping of problem spaces from obvious to disorder

Delays#

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time lags in system responses

Determinism#

that all events determined by previously existing causes

Discourse#

the totality of codified language in a given field

Diversity#

a broad range of possibilities or entities

Emergence#

the ultimate behaviour of interacting parts

Entropy#

the tendency for a system to move towards equilibrium

Equality#

Primer contribution:
</p>

where relationships are of equal value

Equilibrium#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the balancing of multiple conditions or inputs

Estimation#

Primer contribution:
</p>

an approximation of a value

Evolution#

the change of a system over time

Feedback#

a loop where the output effects the input of a system

Fractals#

self-similar replicating patterns

Framing#

how we perceive or communicate reality

Game theory#

strategies for anticipating the outcome of a situation

  • Wikipedia page{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Prisoner’s dilemma{.link-ext target=”_blank” } as a classic example of Game Theory
  • Why do competitors open their stores next to one another? Jac de Haan on TED-ed (4 mins) a great introduction to Hotelling’s Law{.link-ext target=”_blank” }, explaining why similar shops set up next to one another YouTube{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Hendricks, V., Hansen, P. and Aumann, R. (2007). Game theory. [Copenhagen]: Automatic Press VIP.

Herd effect#

Primer contribution:
</p>

The herd mentality is a powerful social force

  • Suggest a reading to include in the primer…

Hermenuetical circle#

an understanding of the whole and the parts [and reverse]

Heuristics#

experience-based methods for approximation

Homeostasis#

Maintaining stability in unstable conditions

Identity#

(depends on the context and definition)

Ignorance#

a lack of knowledge, intentional or otherwise

  • Mike Smithson, Ignorance Studies PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Wikipedia page{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Initial conditions#

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the starting conditions of a system

Innovation#

application of better solutions to new requirements

Interaction#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the actions of one object on another

Interdisciplinarity#

working together in a way that integrates different disciplines

Intersectionality#

Primer contribution:
</p>

recognition of different aspects of a person’s identity

Learning organisations#

organisations that learn from previous situations

Legacies#

ideas and artefacts that stand the test of time

Leverage points#

places to intervene in a system

Living Culture#

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a culture with a rich history and current practice

  • Tyson Yunkaporta’s Sand Talk{.link-ext target=”_blank” }

Mental games#

a situation that is confused and full of problems

Mental models#

the thought-process about how something works

Mess#

a situation that is confused and full of problems

Narrative#

the sequence of a story or report

Natural capital#

the world’s stock of natural resources

Networks#

Primer contribution:
</p>

a system of nodes and links

Non-linearity#

where the change in input does not proportionally change the output

Occam's razor#

a principle for selecting solutions that rely on the fewest assumptions

Patterns#

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the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner

Precautionary Principle#

Primer contribution:
</p>

a response to reduce harm where there is a lack of evidence

Prediction#

to be able to forecast an uncertain event

Randomness#

Primer contribution:
</p>

Randomness takes up the infinite space adjacent to unpredictability

Reductionism#

that the behaviour of a system can be explained by its parts

Requisite variety#

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the minimum number of alternative required for a successful outcome

Resilience#

the capacity of a system to resist change

Rights#

Primer contribution:
</p>

principles of freedom or entitlement

Risk#

the likelihood of gaining or losing something of value

  • Risk{.link-ext target=”_blank” } (Wikipedia)
  • Chapter 26, Coping and Managing under Uncertainty PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein

Self-organisation#

a system that organises spontaneously

Simplicity#

tending towards the state of being simple

Social-Technical Intersection#

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The interaction between society and technology

  • Pfaffenberger’s Social Anthropology of Technology PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Majcman’s Reflection on Gender and Technology Studies: In What State is the Art? PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Wikipedia page{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Songlines#

Indigenous knowledge systems for navigation

Storytelling#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the cultural activity of telling stories

  • Wikipedia page{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Ira Glass on Storytelling Video{.link-ext target=”_blank” }
  • Mead, G, 2014, Telling the Story- The Heart & Soul of Successful Leadership, Wiley & Sons, San

Sustainability#

the property of system to continue indefinitely

  • Harris on Seeking Sustainability in an Age of Complexity PDF{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle{.link-ext target=”_blank”}
  • Wikipedia page{.link-ext target=”_blank”}

Synthesis#

Primer contribution:
</p>

the cognitive ability to merge multiple ideas or worldviews

Systems thinking#

an approach for thinking about systems principles

Tipping points#

levels that change the behaviour of a system when traversed

Transdisciplinarity#

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a strategy that crosses many disciplinary boundaries

Triangulation#

Primer contribution:
</p>

using multiple sources to determine the truth

Uncertainty#

the absence of certainty in a given situation

Unintended consequences#

the unforeseen effects of an action

Unknowns#

variables or factors with incomplete information

Visualisation#

a visual representation of a system

Wicked problems#

problems that are resistant to resolution

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