Absolute Resource Guide: Complexity Science

These are the resources we use in regard to Complexity Science

What is Complexity Science?

“Over the last few hundred years, science has progressed based on the notion that understanding the fundamental parts of a system will be sufficient to know the system as a whole. While this approach has been productive…it has failed to explain some of the world’s most important phenomena. (1)”

At Absolute we feel that one of the most important topics to begin to learn about is that of complex systems and the study of the behaviour of these systems under the lens of complexity science. This helps us understand these important phenomena.

Studying this topic has been one of the most important things that we have learned about in the last 10 years. It is not hyperbole to say that it has made every other topic become that much clearer. The concepts of non-linearity, emergence, spontaneous order and feedback loops all embedded within complexity become readily observed and recognized when applied to many other topics in the realm of movement science, training science and injury mechanisms to name just a few.

As you continue to follow Absolute and read our Substack, you will begin to recognize the application of many topics within complexity science. For this reason we wanted to share a few resources with you.

Enjoy!

Books

Complexity: A Guided Tour by Melanie Mitchell

Chaos: Making a New Science by James Gleick

Complex Systems in Sport by Routledge Research in Sport and Exercise Science

Lectures

Introduction to Complexity - This course was developed by professor Melanie Mitchell, and is based on her book Complexity: A Guided Tour

works cited

1. santa fe inst. “What Is Complexity Science?” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Mar. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4f1NM_a6VU.