Introduction: The Concept of System and Complex System
A system can be defined as “an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something” (Meadows 2009). It is a global and organized entity, made up of many different components, aimed at performing a certain function. If we remove a part of it, its nature and function are modified; the parts must have a specific architecture and their interaction makes the system behave differently from its parts (Alaimo 2020; Maggino and Alaimo 2021). Systems evolve over time and most of them are resilient to change.
Complex systems are made up of a great variety of elements with specialized functions. Therefore, elements are different from one another and it is precisely this diversity that makes it difficult their understanding. In most cases, the elements of complex systems are other systems, which are in turn formed by systems and so on. This progressive encapsulation forms a systemic hierarchy, an...
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Alaimo, L.S. (2021). Complex Systems and Complex Adaptive Systems. In: Maggino, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69909-7_104659-1
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