THINKING IN COMPLEXITY
UN ITINERARIO AL MARGINE DEL CAOS

Katia Serena Cannata

The article calls into question the contradiction between the visible order of nature and the hidden progressive disorder that seems to guide it. In order to gain a deeper and clearer comprehension of this constant oscillation, we may look at some recent explanations, linked to the development of Complexity Science in the XX century: from CAS to emergence, going through Game Theory and small-world networks. Against oversimplification and linear paradigms, adopting a complex perspective can help drawing a more realistic picture of the world, of its connections and interactions; an approach that goes beyond barriers and strong distinctions between disciplines, facing up to human being, nature and culture on its entirety and complexity. In conclusion, exposed to a dynamic interplay between order and disorder, natural systems seem to stay at the edge of chaos, a region occurring at the frontier between regular motion and standard chaos.