Past Events
New Perspectives on Complexity
Feb 17 2025
Join Stephen Wolfram for an interactive discussion about his recent writing on complexity, and on biological evolution.
For a preview, explore his article, "Foundations of Biological Evolution: More Results, More Surprises" here.
Other topics reflecting Wolfram’s broad contributions may also be discussed, offering attendees a chance to engage with his diverse ideas and perspectives.
The Election and Complexity Science: Insights for Collective Action and Governance
This event has passed.
The results of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election will send shockwaves through political, social, and economic systems, impacting and exposing deep vulnerabilities in society and governance structures worldwide. What does Complexity Science reveal about the dynamics driving these outcomes, their causes, and broader implications?
Complexity and the Economy
This event has passed.
Rising costs of living and growing debt are leaving individuals and the economy under immense strain. Complexity science reveals how structural shifts in the 1980s created a regime where ideas like trickle-down economics no longer work—but were helpful in addressing the challenges of that time. These policies now drive rising consumer debt, inequality, and economic instability.
Mapping Social Contagion in Complex Systems
Why do people make the choices they do? Whether we are voting in elections, responding to economic shocks, tackling complex problems collaboratively, or even participating in civil unrest, our decisions often reflect hidden forces at work. External influences—like news stories, policy shifts, or economic pressures—clearly matter. But what is often overlooked is how our social networks dramatically amplify these effects through what scientists call social contagion.
So, what influences really shape our behavior, and why? How does the invisible structure of our connections intensify collective actions, sometimes leading to unintended or harmful consequences? And perhaps most crucially, how can we recognize, understand, and control these contagion effects?
In today's conversation, we will explore these questions through insights from complex systems science. We will focus on examples from social and engineered systems, but we will also uncover universal patterns of collective behavior found across diverse domains—including ecological systems, genetic regulatory networks, and even animal group dynamics.
Mapping Social Contagion in Complex Systems
May 5 2025
Exploring the Dynamical Foundations of Public Opinion
May 21 2025
Complexity and the Limits of Science
June 16 2025