The world is a complex place. From people living their lives in all corners of the world to the widespread and global issues that face humanity, complexity is everywhere. But do we really know, embrace, and deal with complexity? I repeatedly observe people acknowledging the complexity of some issue, but then postponing dealing with it. Complexity can be overwhelming, but we cannot postpone grappling and dealing with it any longer because so much is at stake for humanity and for individuals.
Goals and Content
The goal of It’s Complex is to ponder and grapple with some of the world’s complexities and to offer ways of dealing with complexity from a holistic systems perspective. I will focus on how complex issues involve multiple, connected, and dynamic parts.
I am an academic psychologist (PhD, Clark University, 1993) and I worked as a psychology professor for 26 years. Thus, this newsletter will include a lot about the complexities of human functioning, which I think account for a lot of why the world is such a complex place. I will write about human behavior and development. I will write about the complexities of culture, identity, and causality among other topics. I want to expose how some common ways of speaking overlook complexity (e.g., “either-or,” children are “sponges,” culture is “transmitted,” “finding” oneself). I want to show how dealing with complexity can promote empathic understanding and forging common ground among diverse individuals and groups. This newsletter will draw on past and current events, the sciences, the humanities, and daily life.
Format and Schedule
Complexity is—well, it’s complex. Because complex issues involve multidimensionality, connectedness, and dynamics, we cannot deal with complexity in small doses or reduce it to sound bites. There will thus be some longer posts (but don’t worry, not too long), along with shorter musings. New newsletters will be posted bi-weekly on Monday afternoon.
Please always let me know what you think. There is space to comment about newsletter posts and I welcome your ideas about complex issues to grapple with. More content is in the works.
Please tell everyone you know about It’s Complex and share it with them. The more people thinking systematically about complexity, the better. It’s just what the world needs!
