Complexity doesn't exist
Complexity doesn’t exist. It’s an illusion.
Complexity is a projection of mental effort onto problems and systems. It doesn’t exist in objective reality.
Have you noticed how a new topic or problem seems complex at the beginning, but becomes a lot simpler after you master it? Or sometimes vice versa? If complexity existed in things, that wouldn’t be possible.
Complexity is a mirage constructed by the mind. As a result:
- Problems and systems have all levels of apparent complexity simultaneously.
- Apparent complexity can dissolve effortlessly and unexpectedly. And therefore, we can achieve much more than we believe is possible.
You're probably thinking, “But scientists study complexity!” In fact, complexity researchers haven’t been able to agree on a definition of complexity. They’re studying something, but it’s not what they think. They’re studying the reflections of their own minds in external systems.
Global Innovation+ Whisperer, CEO - Cygnus Launchpad Ventures, Managing Director - Futureproofing, Founder - Grey Swan Guild, Board Member, Catalyst, Author, Podcaster
2 年A riddle solved by a puzzle disguised as an enigma - so like nearly everything in the world now, complexity is on spectrum - from the apparent complexity will resolve itself expeditiously to this will “take forever for the best of us” to unscramble apparent complexity
DL, Ontology, NLP, Knowledge Graphs, KR, global interoperability
3 年Hola Daniel! A challenging statement here!? Complexity is used in several ways in different contexts, so first: which is which? As a quality, I am not sure a complex number would like to be strippped of its complexity! More seriously, as representing a (subjective) complex system or situation, we try to break it down into smaller part so they - and relationships - can be addressed separately. But still, complexity exists. The graal to eliminate complexity is the canonical expression that solves a class of complexity: for instance the quadratic equation ( -b +/ ...) , or matrix inverse method, etc. in UX, especially, it is hard to design simple systems (which may under the hood be very complex); and satisfy everybody. Can't say "so long" to complexity (yet?)
CEO at Jonar and CIO at ParagonERP
3 年Sorry to be contrary but I fundamentally disagree. Mathematics has very specific definitions of "complex" equations. Biology has described very complex living things as just a couple categories of examples. The fact that we start to understand them has no bearing on whether they are complex. For a less nerdy way of thinking about take a look at the show The Good Place. The summary is that the world has become so complex, with so many downstream impossible to predict implications to our actions that no matter what we do, everyone ends up belonging in Hell. To my mind it is critical to acknowledge that complexity not only exists but is pervasive. Our desire to oversimplify without doing the hard work to really understand is in my opinion one of our greatest current challenges. Coming up with graceful and elegant solutions in systems design can only be done if you first recognize that complexity not only exists but is growing. But thanks for the thought provoking piece. https://www.nbc.com/the-good-place
It's complicated. But also funny. Moving to presence.
3 年Love the comments here. The applied take-home point: Depending how we understand complexity, the consequences are different. When we believe complexity is in the thing we're studying, we tend to feel overwhelmed, accept the assumptions, work extra hard and settle for mediocre solutions.? ? When we know complexity is an illusion that can dissolve effortlessly, we feel motivated to dissolve it, which leads to powerful and innovative solutions.
Changing how resilience, business continuity and organizational preparedness are practiced and perceived
3 年“Have you noticed how a new topic or problem seems complex at the beginning, but becomes a lot simpler after you master it?” This has never been my experience. For me, mastery always comes with a realization of how little I really know. Am I doing something wrong?