ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to lay the groundwork for the conceptual elaborations and discussions in the following chapters. I discuss the key concepts of complexity and complex systems in this chapter. I begin with a clarifi cation of the concept complexity: Is it in large numbers or in the nature of relationships? Is it in the nature of things or in our knowledge of things? Nonlinearity is the most fundamental concept in complexity theory; it is considered the primary generator of complexity. This term does not signify merely a lack of linearity, but it can be defi ned positively. I address the theoretical issues in the commonly concepts of “complex systems,” “complicated systems,” and “simple systems.” My argument is that the distinctions made among them are not sustainable. I also discuss the concepts of “complex systems” and “complex adaptive systems” and explain my preference for the former.
