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The study of systems with many interacting components whose collective behavior cannot be predicted from individual parts. In physics, it's many-body problems, phase transitions, and emergent phenomena. In social theory, complex mechanics is how simple rules—like market exchange, social imitation, or legal precedent—generate complex outcomes like economic bubbles, cultural norms, or legal systems. It's the science of emergence, showing how order arises from interaction without central control, and how small changes in rules can produce massive shifts in outcomes.
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