Understanding Complex Systems

In order to deal with complex situations as best the authors can, they need to understand something of the dynamics of complex systems and then reflect on the implications of this understanding.

Abstract

Health is a complex notion and it, or its absence, manifests itself under complex conditions. The acknowledgement that a certain situation is complex has a number of implications for the way in which we deal with that situation. First and foremost among these is the fact that traditional "reductive" approaches lead to problematic results. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that some vague "holistic" approach is not an alternative. In order to deal with complex situations as best we can, we need to understand something of the dynamics of complex systems and then reflect on the implications of this understanding.