Complex Systems are built from simple pieces

Any complex system is built of simple pieces. Sentences are built from words, words from letters, etc. Systems work like this because complexity is not atomic.

Even where there are a lot of simple pieces, you can use this property to help understand a system. By identifying the constituent parts and working on understanding each in turn and their relationships with the other parts you can incrementally build up a more nuanced understanding of a system.

The reverse is also true. When building complex systems it's possible to focus on building each component part. Building as you go and crafting their relationships, starting with a simple system of a few pieces and working until you have your full system.

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• Complexity isn't atomic
  • Thing's aren't usually both atomic and complex. Complex systems are built from simple pieces. This is why essential complexity needs context to determine. It's always possible to break the complex entities into simple pieces to understand them. Whether literally or metaphorically.