“In our analysis of complex systems (like the brain and language) we must avoid the trap of trying to find master keys. Because of the mechanisms by which complex systems structure themselves, single principles provide inadequate descriptions. We should rather be sensitive to complex and self-organizing interactions and appreciate the play of patterns that perpetually transforms the system itself as well as the environment in which it operates.”

—  Paul Cilliers

Source: Complexity and Postmodernism (1998), p. 107

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Paul Cilliers 12
South African philosopher 1956–2011

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