Emergence

You cannot predict the phenomena of waves by studying a molecule of water. You only get waves when a whole lot of molecules act together. This is called 'emergent behaviour' and applies to a great many things. You cannot predict avalanches by studying a grain of sand. You need millions of grains to see the characteristics of a pile of sand finding its angle of repose.

Meaning and language cannot be discerned by watching the movement of air coming out of a speakers mouth. You need to know how the sounds relate to each other, to the environment and social structures and you can't know that if you don't possess language yourself.

The way we behave collectively, from stock markets to housing development, is an emergent property that can't be known solely from studying a single individual. Emergence is about novel properties that groups of things manifest. These 'collectivities' are not discernable by reduction, by studying the tiniest parts. The sum is greater than the parts.

Complexity theory aims at formally studying - across a variety of disciplines and ranges of human and non-human patterns - why and how these patterns emerge. This research may help us understand how to develop more effective organizations. It may help us sharpen our senses about hurricanes, earthquakes and the spread of epidemics. We might be able to probe with more clarity the functioning of the proteins in our DNA that lead to both desireable and tragic outcomes.

It builds on what we already know, taking us further along in our understanding of our own lives and the world that surrounds us.