Perplexed and excited by complexity

This spring break gave me the opportunity I needed to finish reading the book on Complexity by Waldop. I had started reading it couple of years ago, but never got around to completing the last 10 percent. However, I started from the beginning and got more out of it as the things discussed are so fascinating--especially the emergent field of study about "emergent" properties on virtually every thing in life. As it turns out hard science and soft science share similar habavior at certain level as they are both a part of complex systems. But the powerful message I took from this book was the idea, not actually that new, that very simple rules can create complex systems. And slight difference in the initial phase can create enormous difference at the end. This means a little positive initiative regarding social policies taken today can make a vast difference a decade or two later. The book was an account of many scientists and researchers who thought original ideas and languished for decades and struggled to find acceptance in the mainstream. Of course, they eventually triumphed.

Their website states: The Santa Fe Institute is devoted to creating a new kind of scientific research community, one emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration in pursuit of understanding the common themes that arise in natural, artificial, and social systems. This unique scientific enterprise attempts to uncover the mechanisms that underlie the deep simplicity present in our complex world.

I like that idea: Deep simplicity present in our complex world.