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Understanding Complexity

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Understanding Complexity

By: Scott E. Page, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Scott E. Page
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Recent years have seen the introduction of concepts from the new and exciting field of complexity science that have captivated the attention of economists, sociologists, engineers, businesspeople, and many others. These include tipping points, the wisdom of crowds, six degrees of separation (or Kevin Bacon), and emergence.

Interest in these intriguing concepts is widespread because of the utility of this field. Complexity science can shed light on why businesses or economies succeed and fail, how epidemics spread and can be stopped, and what causes ecological systems to rebalance themselves after a disaster.

In fact, complexity science is a discipline that may well hold the key to unlocking the secrets of some of the most important forces on Earth. But it's also a science that remains largely unknown, even among well-educated people.

Now you can discover and grasp the fundamentals and applications of this amazing field with Understanding Complexity. Professor Scott E. Page of the University of Michigan - one of the field's most highly regarded teachers, researchers, and real-world practitioners - introduces you to this vibrant and still evolving discipline. In 12 lucid lectures, you learn how complexity science helps us understand the nature and behavior of systems formed of financial markets, corporations, native cultures, governments, and more.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2009 The Great Courses (P)2009 The Teaching Company, LLC
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This is the best introduction to complex adaptive systems I have come across. Thoroughly recommend. It explains the basic concepts and links them together very well. It frames my thinking when I delve deeper into the subject.

Great introduction to complex adaptive systems

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If you want to understand complexity, what it is and what it means this is the book for you. I have tried many other books on the subject but this is by far the best. Recommend

An excellent overview of the subject

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I reckon the main takeaway for me from this book is the fact that we are not as smart as we think we are, and a lot of people, animals, creatures and habitats, can pay a high price for this, but maybe a deeper understanding of this can make things better for all.

Enlightening and worth a listen.

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Thoroughly enjoyed it and so interesting. Will require your focus and attention throughout but well worth the effort. Should be mandatory listening for those in business and government.

Fantastic series of lectures

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One of my deep philosophical and sociological dilemma is, can the will of one person, change a nation? And if so, how?

Not in a Helen of Troy kind of way, but more in an emancipation and positive transformation kind of way. What is the science to transforming a country like Nigeria into a highly developed society?

This series of lectures provides the building blocks for shaping and staging such an intervention. As the lectures point out, the best metaphor to describe the thought-process, is how to tame a beast! (Paraphrasing). The lectures do not tell you ‘how’, rather they tell you more about ‘what’ to look out for when dealing with the beast. Think of the lectures as ‘a guide to the nature of beasts’.

Hopefully, you’re not put off by my over use of the beast metaphor. All the same, it is a very good audio listen. Now that I know what to look out for, I will now proceed to figure out how.

A useful framework for transforming a nation

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