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A Complex System On The Edge of Chaos
"Complex Systems" is an interdisciplinary field that touches upon many different subjects. It is often associated with a branch of mathematics known as "Chaos Theory".
A Map of The Field
A wonderful summary is Brian Castellani and Lasse Gerrits' "Map of Complexity Sciences":
Visit the link above for an interactive version!
This diagram contains many works which we have referenced here before, such as:
• Jay Forrester's System Dynamics
• James Grier Miller's Living Systems Theory
• Buckminster Fuller's Synergetics
...etc.
While it is very thorough, there are other works that could be added to it...
As pointed out by Javier Livas Cantu, the Viable System Model of Stafford Beer seems to be missing from this chart for some reason. Robert Campbell's System of Cosmic Order, Ken Wilbur's Integral Theory, and other holistic approaches to science would also fit well within it.
Generally, we would like to gather some other related resources here.
Links (In No Particular Order)
General
• David Ing - Knowing Better Via Systems Thinking
Russell Ackoff:
• Systems Thinking
• Beyond Continual Improvement
• F.E. Emery - Systems Thinking: Selected Readings
• Ludwig von Bertalanffy - General System Theory
• Alexander Bogdanov
Mathematical / Programming
• Ralph Abraham and Christopher Shaw - Dynamics (2nd Edition)
• Lila Gatlin - Information Theory and The Living System
Howard T. Odum:
• Modeling for All Scales
• Environment, Power, and Society
• Systems Ecology: An Introduction
[In Progress...]
