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Criticality balances order and disorder in complex systems from "summary" of Complexity by Mitchell M. Waldrop

The concept of criticality is a fundamental principle in understanding complex systems. Criticality is the delicate balance between order and disorder that allows complex systems to function effectively. In a critical system, there is just the right amount of order to provide stability, while also allowing for enough disorder to introduce flexibility and adaptability. In complex systems, such as the brain or the economy, criticality plays a crucial role in determining how the system behaves. Without criticality, a system would either be too rigid and unable to adapt to changing conditions, or too chaotic and unable to maintain any semblance of order. It is this balance between order and disorder that allows complex systems to self-organize and evolve in response to external stimuli. At the edge of criticality, a complex system is in a state known as the "critical point." At this point, the system is highly sensitive to small changes in its environment, which can lead to sudden, large-scale changes in the system's behavior. This sensitivity to perturbations is what allows complex systems to exhibit emergent properties that cannot be predicted from the behavior of individual components. By maintaining a state of criticality, complex systems are able to achieve a delicate balance between stability and adaptability. This balance allows for the emergence of complex behaviors and patterns that are not present in simpler systems. It is this ability to self-organize and adapt that gives complex systems their remarkable ability to evolve and respond to changing conditions.
  1. Criticality is a key concept in understanding how complex systems operate. By balancing order and disorder, criticality allows complex systems to achieve a state of dynamic equilibrium that enables them to self-organize and evolve in response to their environment. This delicate balance between stability and adaptability is what gives complex systems their unique properties and allows them to exhibit emergent behaviors that cannot be explained by the behavior of individual components.
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Complexity

Mitchell M. Waldrop

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