The Motor Wheels of Social Complexity in Today’s World

Abstract

If “observed from a certain height”, a social system, composed of a large number of agents of different types, appears as a teeming (disorderly), highly dynamic system of individuals who interact with others to produce individual types of behavior that are always diverse and unlikely to be repeated in the future. This leads to relentless collective change that continually modifies the network of social, cultural, economic and political processes. The traditional processes are abandoned while others take their place, spurred by increasingly newer technologies and changes in the ecosystem. Such forms of complexity are favored and heightened by the action of several fundamental motor wheels of complexity. I believe the following to be fundamental: 1.  Acceleration, 2. Interdependence, 3. The prevalence of the symbol, 4. Combinatory behavior.