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Society is complex, yet this book contends that it can be analyzed through a scientific lens to explain and predict social behavior. As a system of interacting agents—people, groups, institutions, and technological structures—society exemplifies a complex system. Recent scientific advancements have shed light on how such systems function, revealing behaviors that emerge from interactions rather than individual components. These systems are often 'self-organized,' and attempts to manage their emergent properties through 'top-down' approaches are typically ineffective. Instead, a 'bottom-up' strategy that guides self-organization toward desirable outcomes is more effective. The book illustrates how concepts from complexity science can be applied to various social phenomena, including traffic flow, economic markets, opinion formation, and urban development. It posits that the understanding of social sciences through a complex-systems lens has matured enough to warrant a unified approach for studying and predicting societal dynamics. This would involve collaboration across research communities, enabling the exploration of societal interactions with the physical environment through realistic models and extensive data analysis. Ultimately, this framework could provide solutions to pressing global issues such as conflict, disease, financial instability, environmental degradation, and poverty, while minimizing unintended consequences
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Why society is a complex matter, Philip Ball
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- Pubblicato
- 2012
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