Category: Complexity

Nonlinear Economics Leading economists in the 1940s and 1950s sought to turn economics into a precise science (Waldrop 1994: 24). Among the early advocates of complexity theory were Georgescu-Roegen of Vanderbilt University and Brian Arthur of Stanford University, who challenged the linear framework that dominated the field. Economists of that era relied on diminishing returns…

Shifts in Scientific Thinking All good things come to an end, and the supremacy of the linear paradigm—characterised by certainty and predictability—was no exception. Einstein (1879–1955), Bohr (1885–1962), Schrödinger (1887–1961), Heisenberg (1901–1976), and Dirac (1902–1984) played pivotal roles in advancing the natural sciences beyond the Newtonian limits that had defined them for centuries. Later scholars…

Historical Consensus Humankind has always sought protection from life’s harsh realities. Initially, people placed their faith in religion. Priests, who were believed to be in close touch with the god worshipped at the time, interceded on behalf of believers to seek blessings and ward off evil. Priests acted as experts. They claimed to know what…

The Scientific Era The Age of Enlightenment in Europe, which reached maturity in the 18th century, profoundly impacted the way life is perceived at all levels, from the mundane to the profound. Its indelible effects colour human beliefs and actions to this day. Science liberated minds from centuries of control by religious dictates and ancient…