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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Kb-complexity Digest, Vol 8, Issue 1 (Victor@34sp)
2. Re: Re: Kb-complexity Digest, Vol 8, Issue 1 (kk aw)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject:
[Kb-complexity] Re: Kb-complexity Digest, Vol 8, Issue 1
From:
"Victor@34sp" <victor@vmacgill.net>
Date:
Sat, 05 May 2007 15:13:13 +1200
To:
kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com
To:
kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com
My maths is pretty basic - I got a C- at first year university
mathematics 25 years ago, and while it stops me from understanding
much of the depth of what complex is and how and why it works, I still
find I am able to gain tremendous benefit from understanding the
general principles and philosophy underlying Complexity.
I think the first major step for learning to use complexity in the
real world is simply the acceptance of the fact that very little of
the world runs under linear principles and using models based on
linear systems, while they may have many areas of applicability, they
will always fall short of really describing accurately the world, and
life in particular. Merely thinking in non-linear terms opens many
possibilities and the greater the understanding of complexity, the
clearer we become about what we can affect and what we can't, and they
ways we can work with complex systems.
Cheers
Victor MAcGill
kb-complexity-request@list.knowledgeboard.com wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Do you need maths for CS? How to use CS for Org Change?
(Carol Webb)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject:
[Kb-complexity] Do you need maths for CS? How to use CS for Org Change?
From:
Carol Webb <carolwebb75@yahoo.com>
Date:
Fri, 4 May 2007 06:27:42 -0700 (PDT)
To:
kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com
To:
kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com
Dear Folks
Friday afternoon thoughts and questions for you...
Someone emailed me and asked,
"Do you need a maths degree to appreciate complexity
science?"
"Is there a route into complexity science so it can be
picked up as a "mechanism" for organisational change?"
I have my own responses to this - but I'd like to ask
you all for your thoughts... how would you answer?
Looking forward to any replies.
Best wishes, Carol
Best wishes, Carol.
Dr Carol Webb, Research Officer, School of Applied
Sciences, Cranfield University, Beds, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0)7930405603
Carol Webb's profile on www.linkedin.com:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/carolwebb - add yourself to my
professional network using my email address carolwebb75@yahoo.com
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Subject:
Re: [Kb-complexity] Re: Kb-complexity Digest, Vol 8, Issue 1
From:
kk aw <kkaw@multicentric.com>
Date:
Sat, 05 May 2007 12:51:37 +0800
To:
victor@vmacgill.net, KnowledgeBoard: Complexity group mailing list
<kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com>
To:
victor@vmacgill.net, KnowledgeBoard: Complexity group mailing list
<kb-complexity@list.knowledgeboard.com>
CC:
Dear Victor,
I am not sure what you understand by linear systems. I tend to relate
linear systems to physical systems that follow the linear equation, or
at least part of the equation is linear. Engineers use this property
to design systems that can be predicted to behave in a certain way,
within the designed constraints, for a certain period of time. In
reality, aging, wear and tear, corrosion, fatigue, etc. will all
change the behavior of the physical systems. Unfortunately, the
layman tends to look at scientist and engineers in awe and give them
too much credit for what they know.
Take a pencil. No scientist or engineer can tell you precisely at
what load it will break if you bend it. If they carry out sufficient
number of tests, they can tell you at what load it won't break with a
certain amount of certainty.
To me, biological, ecological and social systems, among others, are
complex systems. There is always uncertainty. Also the systems can
be adaptive. Depending on the triggers, events and environment, the
systems can behave completely differently. On hindsight, we may be
able to understand what happened. Developing the foresight is what
makes is so fascinating and challenging. It can also be very
frightening.
Regards,
KK Aw