Try free for 2 months

A 2 month free trial (limited time offer).
1 credit/month—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.
Understanding Complexity cover art

Understanding Complexity

By: Scott E. Page,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Scott E. Page
Free with 2 month trial

AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $20.83

Buy Now for $20.83

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Recent years have seen the introduction of concepts from the new and exciting field of complexity science that have captivated the attention of economists, sociologists, engineers, businesspeople, and many others. These include tipping points, the wisdom of crowds, six degrees of separation (or Kevin Bacon), and emergence. 

Interest in these intriguing concepts is widespread because of the utility of this field. Complexity science can shed light on why businesses or economies succeed and fail, how epidemics spread and can be stopped, and what causes ecological systems to rebalance themselves after a disaster. 

In fact, complexity science is a discipline that may well hold the key to unlocking the secrets of some of the most important forces on Earth. But it's also a science that remains largely unknown, even among well-educated people. 

Now you can discover and grasp the fundamentals and applications of this amazing field with Understanding Complexity. Professor Scott E. Page of the University of Michigan - one of the field's most highly regarded teachers, researchers, and real-world practitioners - introduces you to this vibrant and still evolving discipline. In 12 lucid lectures, you learn how complexity science helps us understand the nature and behavior of systems formed of financial markets, corporations, native cultures, governments, and more. 

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio. 

©2009 The Great Courses (P)2009 The Teaching Company, LLC

What listeners say about Understanding Complexity

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    43
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Best book on complexity (and I teach this topic and use Page’s book with my students who love it)

I set this audiobook to my students when they take my subject on this topic — it is a sensationally helpful intro to complexity. Don’t go for the more recent books as mist of them are poor quality, fluffy and low on actual details, often simply do not make sense, or else often just impenetrably written. By comparison, Scott Page’s intro is superb, it stands the test of time despite having been written a while ago, it is still my #1 choice and urge all of my students to read / hear, and Scott Page covers an amazing breadth of topics in an enjoyable and pedagogically helpful way that will leave you with a sound grasp of what complexity is, how it arises, what it does, why it matters, and how to flourish within our increasingly networked, dynamic, open, and constantly-changing societies.

About other books… So, an increasing number of books on this topic have recently started appearing, but sadly most are either written by people who don’t seem to understand the basics let alone how to apply the ideas to practice. Other books are ok, but they still show signs of the authors missing fundamental points on certain topics. And the remaining small portion of the recently-released books that I’ve either read or browsed fall into the category of unfortunately being written in such impenetrably technical or academic language that they could scare away even the most enthusiastic person; they make this incredibly rich, interesting, important – and really quite straight-forward topic, if it is taught the right way – seem way too difficult to understand by mere mortals. (Which it isn’t, but as with every field or topic, if the way it is taught id unsatisfactory, then it will make it appear to students as if the topic were difficult.)

By comparison, not only does Scott Page have a rare talent for teaching – an ability to convey key ideas with surprisingly simple examples, and then to connect them to each other and show you why they matter and what makes them si interesting as well as useful – but the content of this book is technically superb.

You will also enjoy listening to Page’s discussion of the various topics. I certainly find him very entertaining to listen to, and my students often comment that they too enjoy listening to Scott Page’s book.

Chapter three (on the topic of “dancing landscapes”) is still my personal favorite. It is the most memorable chapter, and also when everything else fails to convey to my students what complexity is, where it arises from, what it does to our world, and why it matters to understand complexity properly, this chapter always does the trick. I love the idea of “dancing landscapes” as a rich metaphor for complexity.

You will finish with an incredibly sound and deep understanding of the topic after listening to this audioboon.

I periodically re-listen to the entire book precisely because I find it so rich and helpful, and I sincerely hope that my review – because it comes from another teacher, who sees what works for her students and what doesn’t – will help you to choose this book over the noise created by all the other poor quality material out there.

At least listen to the free excerpt, see how it lands on your ears, and if it resonates with you then don’t hesitate about purchasing this most-excellent book / audiobook on complexity.

Lastly, thank you, Scott, for writing this book. My students and I love it. Hope you might return to the topic at some stage and bring your new learnings to bear on creating a second edition. Not because there are flaws with this first edition, but because I’m sure you’ve found new things over the years and it would be great if you shared them with readers like you do in this edition.

Dr Nicole Vincent, TD School
University of Technology Sydney
Australia

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Maybe interesting for a 5th grader

The whole setup is that of a vocabulary training CD from 15 years ago for children of the age of 12. The example are not well chosen and he over simplifies and over complicates most of them too.
Very tiring and boring to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great introduction to field & a sense of humor!

Thoroughly enjoyable, accessible and engaging - highly recommend. I just wish it was longer!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Aaaaa

A beautiful cooperative passport to understanding complexity unifying everything together at the centre of gravity

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

frustrating

3 as it's a underrepresented subject.

if you're social science / Econ background go right ahead.

if you want to take the examples seriously, perhaps pick another text.

It's clear in each science example given, the author doesn't really understand the science, using the examples simply for illustrative purposes. subjects include genetics, chemistry, population biology. In one egregious error an interesting point is made regarding a specific bird, with no indication that the same point is true of every species alive.

I'm 3 lectures in. it's very frustrating business.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Actual details about complexity

So often people use complexity as a buzzword, but really get into the weeds of what they mean by it. This lecture series actually dives into the specifics, it draws lines about what is and isn't complex in a way that is mathematically useful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating introduction, really enjoyed it

I loved this course. It's not too long, very interesting and easy to understand!!! thank you!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

very good

slow start for the first 20 mins but i think that's a good thing as to ensure all readers are on the same page

the only thing i thing i would change is for the recommended reading to be read aloud at the end of each chapter or even at the end of the book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.