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The term “Edge of Chaos” stems from observations made by researchers in complexity science. Here’s the basic idea:
On one side of the spectrum, a system can be highly ordered and in equilibrium. Imagine a very rigid company that makes a specific amount of a certain widget each month and carries out its function as efficiently as possible.
On the other side of the spectrum, a system can be in chaos, and no longer function as a system. Imagine a company that was just a room full of 3 year-olds with each of them running in different directions.
Somewhere between these extremes is the “Edge of Chaos” where the system displays the most variety and a rich set of complex behaviors. Some make the generalization that this is where systems are the most adaptive and creative.
All the things I’ve created thus far in my life that I consider great have come from chaotic times when there were very real and scary consequences for failure. It’s important to challenge yourself, but there’s a difference between running to beat your best time, and running to escape a lion. When you’re trying to beat your best time, you run harder. When you’re being chased by a lion, you run faster than you knew you could and will likely be forced to try new things.
This comes back to a very important principle of my philosophy — define your environment so that the environment defines you in favorable ways.
So, if you want to learn or discover something, you might consider taking some part of your life to the “Edge of Chaos”, a place where you will be challenged, struggle, and will have to innovate to win. I’m quite certain, that if done correctly, this will lead to a richer and more interesting life–if that is what you want.
-Kevin
12.18.2011
