Complexity: An Emerging Trend in Social Sciences
Title
Complexity: An Emerging Trend in Social Sciences
Author
Lansing, J. Stephen
Research Area
Theory
Topic
Theory ‐ Discipline specific
Abstract
The social sciences have had a good run with linear models, in which effects are proportionate to their causes. Nearly all of our theoretical models, in fields as diverse as microeconomics and evolutionary game theory, are equilibrium theories, which examine the properties of various fixed points and analyze the conditions under which they are selected. In contrast, “complexity” uses different mathematical tools to investigate nonlinear processes. But linear models have the advantages of simplicity and power. Is there a real need to import the theoretical apparatus of “complexity” into the social sciences? Or might it be merely the latest example of Fashionable Nonsense?