The “study of complexity” refers to the attempt to find common principles underlying the behavior of complex systems—systems in which large collections of components interact in nonlinear ways. Here, the term nonlinear implies that the system can’t be understood simply by understanding its individual components; nonlinear interactions cause the whole to be “more than the sum of its parts.”
How Can the Study of Complexity Transform Our Understanding of the World?
Melanie Mitchell
Via Complexity Digest, Complejidady Economía, NESS
Wonderful and clarifying text.