tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34041837.post4742196971111052020..comments2009-10-28T00:05:26.742-04:00Firebrand Architect®http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573131002765033266noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34041837.post-87058350732241960752009-10-28T00:05:26.742-04:002009-10-28T00:05:26.742-04:00I agree that a one-to-one comparison of complexity to energy is flawed. <br /><br />Perhaps the Newton&#39;s laws of motion better describe the real purpose of the post. Specifically the third law: &quot;To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.&quot; <br /><br />While on the topic ... a recent article in WSJ (in collaboration with MIT Sloan) attempts to address the issue of complexity for the organizations that are <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052970203585004574392673999432000-lMyQjAxMDA5MDIwNzEyNDcyWj.html" rel="nofollow">Too Big to Manage</a>.<br /><br />That article invoked a response from a fellow reader who noted: &quot;Complexity is created when clarity is lost.&quot; - John Mayberry.<br /><br />Constantin K.Firebrand Architect®http://www.blogger.com/profile/10573131002765033266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34041837.post-91848972323243633382009-10-26T04:00:35.837-04:002009-10-26T04:00:35.837-04:00The metaphor of complexity as energy is flawed. Before Copernicus described the solar system, with the sun at the center, the &quot;scientific&quot; minds of his day had not only placed the earth at the center, but had created complicated mechanisms for reconciling the motions of the stars (and other planets) through what must now be seen as arcane and complex mathematics. In addition to creating these complex notions that described complex pathways through the firmament, the astronomers of the day were frequently perplexed to discover their math was simply inadequate to describe many of the observable phenomena. (bing &#39;Almagest&#39;) <br /><br />Once Copernicus described a system with the sun at the center, all that complexity fell away. It literally vanished. It was not preserved. <br /><br />Complexity is not a law of thermodynamics. It is a law of human assumptions, incorrect models, and attempts by well-meaning technologists to compensate for flaws in our underlying thinking that drives most complexity. <br /><br />Complexity is not the fundamental nature of the universe. It is a necessary artifact in our understanding of the nature of the universe because our models should be as simple as they can be, but not simpler (to paraphrase Einstein). That said, as our models improve, complexity often falls away. There is nothing preserved when an ill-considered complexity is replaced by a well designed simplicity.Nick Malikhttp://blogs.msdn.com/nickmaliknoreply@blogger.com