Simplistic Complexity

Ancestors and Elites examines the relationship between emergent social complexity and changing ritual practices at the prehispanic site of Paquime, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Written by two experts in the field, this is the only comprehensive and unified treatment of the central ideas and applications of Kolmogorov complexity. The book presents a thorough treatment of the

There is no dearth of popular books on leadership, often extolling the virtues of charismatic, celebrity leaders or offering simplistic formulas for "inspiring the troops" to achieve "extraordinary r

Dave Tomlinson is author of The Post Evangelical, a seminal book which acknowledged the disenchantment with simplistic approaches to faith experienced by many evangelicals. Many, locked into interpre

Commerce, Complexity, and Evolution is a significant contribution to the paradigm - straddling economics, finance, marketing, and management - which acknowledges that commercial systems are evolutionary, and must therefore be analysed using evolutionary tools. Evolutionary systems display complicated behaviours which are to a significant degree generated endogenously, rather than being solely the product of exogenous shocks, hence the conjunction of complexity with evolution. This volume considers a wide range of systems, from the entire economy at one extreme to the behaviour of single markets at the other. The papers are united by methodologies which at their core are evolutionary, though the techniques cover a wide range, from philosophical discourse to differential equations, genetic algorithms, multi-agent simulations and cellular automata. Issues considered include the dynamics of debt-deflation, stock management in a complex environment, interactions between consumers and its ef

Jonalyn Fincher wants to show that women can be both fully human and fully feminine. Traditionally, femininity has been a role women play, a role defined by culture and simplistic sermons. The autho

This selection of 21 essays concentrates on using complexity theory, also known as complex adaptive system theory. Contributors describe moves toward a supportive nonlinear modeling structure, the rol

As technology expands and evolves, one-dimensional, graphical user interface (GUI) design becomes increasingly limiting and simplistic. Designers must meet the challenge of developing new and creative

Complexity theory illuminates the many interactions between natural and social systems, providing a better understanding of the general principles that can help solve some of today's most pressing env

What is an Arab? Though many in the West would answer that question with simplistic stereotypes, the reality is far more complex and interesting. Arabs themselves have been debating Arab identity sin

Complexity theory illuminates the many interactions between natural and social systems, providing a better understanding of the general principles that can help solve some of today's most pressing env

In Native Americans and the Christian Right, Andrea Smith advances social movement theory beyond simplistic understandings of social-justice activism as either right-wing or left-wing and urges a mor

Though love is a perennial topic for writers of all kinds, much of what is written aboutlove is simplistic and unsatisfying. In Conscious Love, Richard Smoley—an expert on the esoteric tradition

The insights of complexity science can allow today’s managers to embrace the challenges and uncertainty of the twenty-first century, and successfully oversee organizational change and developmen

Contributors who are themselves presumably archaeologists, or at least anthropologists of some sort, demonstrate how to employ complexity--the interactions, multiple scales, and multiple layers of mea

On Mechanism in Hegel's Social and Political Philosophy examines the role of the concept of mechanism in Hegel’s thinking about political and social institutions. It counters as overly simplistic the

Finkenthal builds on his Interdisciplinarity: Toward the Definition of a Metadiscipline? of 2001, focusing on the issue of complexity as it relates to the humanities and social sciences. He follows up

Times Diamond, a consummate teacher of the Bible, provides a clear and simple (but not simplistic) method for reading and understanding the weekly Torah portions. This is a how-to book, not an interpr

The story of Jean's early years brings us to the core of her life. Mountains of loneliness engulf young Jean as her mother passes. Deeply saddened, she embraces life and the simplistic ways of her dad

Moves beyond simplistic dichotomies by taking up the issue of Iran's national identity and contending sources of its identity.

The aim of this book is to provide an introductory but not simplistic guide to research in the social and behavioural sciences. The book sets out to tackle difficult issues and conc

The aim of this book is to provide an introductory but not simplistic guide to research in the social and behavioural sciences. The book sets out to tackle difficult issues and concepts in a scholarly

This book presents a model of computing and a measure of computational complexity which are intended to facilitate analysis of computations performed by people, machines, or a mixed system of people and machines. The model is designed to apply directly to models of economic theory, which typically involve continuous variables and smooth functions, without requiring analysis of approximations. The model permits analysis of the feasibility and complexity of the calculations required of economic agents in order for them to arrive at their decisions. The treatment contains applications of the model to game theory and economics, including comparison of the complexities of different solution concepts in certain bargaining games, and the trade-off between communication and computation in an example of an Edgeworth Box economy.

Seeking Sustainability in an Age of Complexity explains the difficulties of sustainability and why 'collapse' can occur. In the last twenty years the theory of complexity has been developed - complex systems science (CSS) speaks to natural systems and particularly to ecological, social and economic systems and their interaction. Due to the growing concern over the huge changes occurring in the global environment, such as climate change, deforestation, habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity, Graham Harris sets out what has been learned in an attempt to understand the implications of these changes and suggests ways to move forward. This book discusses a number of emerging tools for the management of 'unruly' complexity which facilitate stronger regional dialogues about knowledge and values, which will be of interest to ecologists, sociologists, economists, natural resource managers and scientists in State and local governments and those involved in water and landscape management.

Self-Organizing Complexity in Psychological Systems offers a contemporary perspective on the mind through a compilation of original chapters written by some of the leading researchers in the area of c

This collection by Thai and international scholars examines the reasons behind the unrest in south Thailand from a variety of perspectives. The contributors all reject the simplistic mantras of 'terro

This book delivers new IMD insights on an emerging challenge - how to deal with overwhelming complexity. Global organizations face a complex decision-making environment. On one side, diversity of cult

During the 1960s determinism and reductionism acquired a bad taste, so the oasis theory and other simplistic theories about relationships between people and climate were repudiated. Archaeologists tod

Infants may seem to do little more than eat, sleep, and play. Yet behind this misleadingly simplistic facade occurs an awe-inspiring process of development through which infants make sense of, and le

Argues that the complexity of our pluralistic social world demands an enriched conception of democratic education.

Argues that the complexity of our pluralistic social world demands an enriched conception of democratic education.

City-making is an art, not a formula. The skills required to re-enchant the city are far wider than the conventional ones like architecture, engineering and land-use planning. There is no simplistic,

For too long the art historian, with a simplistic typological approach, has dominated accounts of medieval architecture. This fresh look examines the people and processes which went into the construct

Sweeney (Penninsula Medical School, universities of Plymouth and Exeter) suggests that a basic understanding of complexity theory can be applied by general practitioners to better account for the myri

In the past decade, complexity-based thinking has exerted an increasing, yet somewhat controversial authority over management theory and practice. This has in some part been due to the influence of a

Grandmaster Joe Gallagher studies the Sicilian Najdorf in a simplistic way, introducing the crucial initial moves and ideas and taking care to explain the reasoning behind them, something that has som

This book explores the contributions, actual and potential, of complexity thinking to educational research and practice. While its focus is on the theoretical premises and the methodology, not specifi

Arthur Neslen’s sharp insights into the Israeli Jewish mentality are a must read for anyone wishing to understand that society beyond simplistic and reductionist descriptions.Ilan Pappe, author of A H

Stacey and Griffin, both affiliated with the Complexity and Management Center at the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, address the experience of organizational practitioners. The contributors, al

User passwords are the keys to the network kingdom, yet most users choose overly simplistic passwords (like password) that anyone could guess, while system administrators demand impossible to remember