ABSTRACT
Complexity theory is the study of dynamic nonlinear systems, that is, systems that are not in equilibrium and do not act in a predictable manner. Its beginnings in the 1940s are closely entwined with World War 11. Complexity theory was developed to address significant problems in the fields of cryptography, cybernetics, and computer design during and after the war. Today complexity forms a coherent subject, with applications in every field of study, finding particular utility when its principles are applied to the biophysical, dissipative system that is the planet Earth.
