How Complex Systems Adapt
Variation creates diversity. Selection preserves what works and eliminates failures. Retention passes successful adaptations forward over time.
Page Summary
An explainer of how complex adaptive systems work, using the undesigned global economy as the central example. It defines what makes a system complex and adaptive, covers self-organization (order without a director) and the edge of chaos, positive and negative feedback loops and oscillation, and why systems sometimes fail to adapt (lock-in from past success, inability to sense change, over-optimization and fragility, too-rapid change), then gives principles for helping systems adapt better, maintaining diversity, good feedback loops, experimentation, and learning at multiple scales.
Contributions
Every accepted correction to this page is recorded with the exact change, so readers can see how the page improved over time.
-
Holland's book was first published in 1975 (1992 was the MIT Press reprint)
Beforein his 1992 book Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems
Afterin his 1975 book Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems
Why: Verified live article (post 299, how-complex-systems-adapt): body already correctly reads 'in his 1975 book Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems'. Checked FAQ (4-step op-sequence, 8 items) and excerpt independently - neither mentions Holland's book or its publication year. Already correct, no PUT needed.
View the full record →