An Introduction to Complex Systems Science and Its Applications

Figure 4

Schematic complexity profiles of militaries in conflict. (a) If two armies are operating with the same number of possible behaviors but at different scales, the larger-scale one is favored. (b) If two armies are operating at the same scale but with different numbers of possible behaviors, the higher-complexity one is favored. (c) If two armies are operating at different scales and with different numbers of possible behaviors, which one is favored depends on the terrain (see text). Note that these profiles are simplified to highlight the key concepts; actual militaries operate at multiple scales. More generally, (a) and (b) depict conflicts in which one army has at least as much complexity as the other at every scale.

(a)

(b)

(c)