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A system with many interacting components whose collective behavior cannot be predicted from the behavior of individual parts. Complex systems are everywhere—ecosystems, economies, organizations, brains. They're characterized by emergence (patterns that arise from interactions), feedback loops (actions that amplify or dampen themselves), and sensitivity to initial conditions (small changes can have huge effects). Complex systems can't be controlled, only influenced; can't be predicted, only understood in retrospect; can't be simplified, only appreciated in their full intricacy. They're why simple solutions fail, why best-laid plans go awry, why life is endlessly surprising.
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