Read the following articles on complexity:
“The age of Entanglement” by Adrienne LaFrance
(Links to an external site.)
“It’s Complicated: Making Sense of Complexity” by David Segal
(Links to an external site.)
“Can Engineers and Scientists Ever Master “Complexity”? by John Horgan
(Links to an external site.)
After reading the articles, write a brief essay describing some of your thoughts and perspectives on complexity and the challenges (or opportunities) it presents. In particular, discuss the following topics in your essay:
– Which perspective or viewpoint of complexity expressed in the articles do you tend to most agree with and why?
– What aspect(s) of the articles and complexity do you find to be most concerning (if anything)?
– What aspect(s) of the articles and complexity do you find to be the most encouraging (if anything)?
– Can you think of and describe any examples where the underlying complexity of a system and/or technology ultimately resulted in unfavorable outcomes and/or unintended consequences? What type(s) of complexity (see below) best characterize your example?
The assignment is due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 28.
Your essay should be approximately one page (roughly 375-450 words with 1.5 spacing). Support your responses with citations from the article(s) (and any other additional articles/material you choose to review). Include proper APA styling for referencing and citing the IPCC Report (and any other material you use). Reference site to use for APA format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/
(Links to an external site.)
Four Types of Complexity
Static (large numbers of nodes and links) – usually called “complicated” rather than complex because by definition excludes time domain (e.g., 747)
Dynamic – adds time domain to complicated
Wicked – adds human (social) domain
Earth systems complexity – adds planetary scale and high reflexivity in the designer being an active part of the ongoing design (human and planet as design spaces).
