Michael Crichton once commented . . . It did not take long before the scientists began to notice that complex systems showed certain common behaviors. They started to think of these behaviors as characteristic of all complex systems. They realized that these behaviors could not be explained by analyzing the components of the systems. The time-honored scientific approach of reductionism-taking the watch apart to see how it worked-didn't get you anywhere with complex systems, because the interesting behavior seemed to arise from the spontaneous interaction of the components.1
Michael Crichton highlighted the limitations of traditional scientific methods when studying complex systems. Scientists observed that rather than deriving insights from individual parts, the fascinating behaviors of these systems emerged from the interactions and relationships among their components. This realization challenged the reductionist approach, which involves dissecting systems to understand their functioning, as it proved ineffective for comprehending the intricate dynamics of complex systems.
Through their research, scientists began recognizing that...
