Heroes Not Zombies

When I discovered complexity theory and science suddenly everything started to make sense. It gave me an entirely new, consistent, clear lens through which to view and interpret life.

Sadly though, I think the word “complexity” puts people off. They think “complex = difficult” and that’s not quite true. They also confuse “complicated” with “complex”. They aren’t the same thing.

So I thought I’d just share one way into this beautiful way of understanding reality – by focusing on lines. Look at the lines on this stone. You can look at this as a drawing made up of lines and junctions. In network and complexity theory these junctions, those meeting points, are known as “nodes”. Seriously, that’s a good place to start.

All complex systems can be seen as a number of nodes joined together – lines and junctions – or in the case of the human brain, long spindly nerve cells and synapses. If you were to pick a starting point somewhere on this stone and mark a finish point, you could trace an enormous number of ways between those two points, just by following the lines with your finger.

All complex systems are so massively interconnected this way that there are a countless number of alternative ways to trace the relationships and pathways between the nodes. There are always a massive number of alternatives available. And you can never know exactly which of the alternatives is going to be taken.

Complex systems are NOT predictable in detail. That applies more in human beings than perhaps anywhere else because human beings are probably the most complex systems in the universe. The paths a living creature takes are highly unlikely to be straight. Creatures meander and wander and change direction all the time. Have you ever watched a butterfly flying from flower to flower? Have you ever tried predicting which flower it will go to next, and how it will get there? Good luck with that!

Complex systems are not only massively interconnected on the inside, they are massively connected to everything else as well. Complex systems adapt and change according to the environment. They cannot be understood outside of their unique and particular contexts – by the way, I read yesterday that the word “context” has Latin roots in the words for “connection” and “weaving” – nice, huh?

One more thing about complex systems…..see all those lines that indicate the connections and bonds between the nodes and parts? Well they carry influence – in the form or molecules, energy or information – and as they carry whatever it is they are carrying they might multiply them or diminish them. Connections in complex systems make feedback loops of influence – “positive feedback loops” which increase a signal, or “negative feedback loops” which put the brakes on.

All this adds up to “non-linear” function – perhaps the absolute key to understanding a complex system. There is no simple A + B = C. There are a host of factors and influences in play, there are multiple routes through the connections, and there are accelerators and brakes. And all of this is “adaptive” – it responds to, and changes according to, the contexts.

Machines can be complicated. But they aren’t complex. They are made of individual isolated parts which have direct one to one effects on only the parts they are connected to. They are not non-linear. They don’t learn to adapt and grow.

For many years I was a fan of the word “holistic” and would say I practised Medicine holistically. But in the latter part of my career I changed that to saying I practiced the Medicine of “Complex Adaptive Systems” – I know, maybe it isn’t as catchy but I maintain it’s more understandable – after all, just what is “holistic” anyway? Dealing with “everything” at the same time? Seeing “everything there is to see”? I understand the aspiration but…….well, what do you think? I’m not out to attack “Holistic Medicine” here, I’m just sharing with you how I think about human beings, Nature, Life, the Universe, health, healing and disease now – it’s through this lens of the “complexity”.

I know, some of you will be thinking there is more to this “complexity science” than this, and, yes, of course, you are right. There are whole books on the subject, whole multidisciplinary research projects, there is always more. Maybe this will whet your appetite.