Key Messages
How Complexity And Diversity Influence Our World
When it comes to understanding the world around us, it’s important to recognize the intricate relationship between diversity and complexity.
The sheer number of different species – from spiders to birds to sharks – can be staggering, and this variety is a result of evolution through natural selection.
With so many variables (temperature, food sources, geography and more) impacting how species evolve, this process has become deceivingly complex.
We can see evidence of this diversity in our everyday life when comparing two cars: a Mini Cooper and a Jeep.
Although they may appear on the surface to belong to one class of objects (automobiles), upon closer inspection they represent two completely different types with their own unique features and functions.
This reveals that there are far greater levels of diversity than what superficial characteristics imply.
By acknowledging the complexities underlying diversity, we gain a better understanding of why there are more varieties of automobile than there are pencils; or why in some cases smaller is better when it comes to diversity; or simply marvel at how such a small planet can maintain such a wide range of life forms.
Understanding The Three Types Of Diversity: Variation, Variety, And Composition
Diversity is all around us, and there are three aspects of it to consider.
The first is diversity within types which is all about the variations of characteristics found in a single type, like the differences between different cardinals; the second is diversity between types which looks at two or more separate species that have similar characteristics, like flamingoes and cardinals; and the third is a diversity of composition which looks at how individual pieces come together to form something new, such as washing machines or airplanes.
All these forms of diversity contribute to making our world interesting and unique.
How Diversity Is Generated Through Mutation, Inversion, Recombination And Transference
When individuals of a certain type are created, you typically get diversity or variation.
There are different types of change when creating something new.
Mutations arise from minor changes in the production process, while inversions occur from errors in copying information.
For example, a DNA mutation can result in an offspring with features that slightly vary from its parents, like a slightly bigger bird’s beak.
Inversion is like flipping a code or making an inside-out spring roll.
Diversity within types can also happen when elements from different variations are combined or transferred to each other; for example, when two people combine their genes to produce a child or musician Bruce Springsteen using Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan as his musical influences.
Transference occurs when the products we use and consume have elements that transfer only one way instead of mixing together (e.g., cup holders being used in boats, lawn chairs or cars).
This can lead to even more interesting and complex variations among different types!
How Natural Selection Leads To Diversity In The World
The world we live in is a complex and constantly-changing place, and it’s this complexity that promotes diversity.
Environments are shaped by many different factors like temperature, altitude, water presence, or land type; any slight changes can cause shifts in which plants proliferate and may even lead to the development of new species.
The relationships between the different types within a diverse environment can also encourage further biodiversity.
Species rely on specific resources for their survival, such as food sources for birds or particular plants for them to nest.
As these resources become depleted or threatened by predators or other environmental pressures, the species’ numbers can decline and even have the potential to become extinct.
Adaptive systems like the world we live in create an ever-fluctuating environment that produces surviving species that are different from one another because they rely on different resources as well as have unique predators to tackle with — which ultimately encourages greater diversity!
Different Types Of Diversity Arise From The Combination Of Few Variables
The concept of diversity is all about combining individual parts in various ways to create something unique.
Take the example of a chair.
A chair usually starts with a seat, legs and a backrest, and can be made into an infinite number of possible chairs depending on how it’s designed and put together.
Humans and rats are another great example: their cells are practically identical but because they’re combined differently, the end result is vastly different organisms.
Cars operate similarly – they may have the same parts such as engines and doors, but different designs can produce very different cars such as a sturdy Jeep or sporty Mini Cooper.
The key to seeing different types arise is finding a niche – an environment in which they can survive and thrive.
Restaurants rely heavily on this concept, using variables like spice level or plate size to customize their menu to each customer’s individual taste.
Even just two variables introduce many niches for restaurants to exploit, all existing side-by-side simultaneously.
This phenomenon of creating diverse solutions from the same starting point requires artful composition – assembling individual parts in unique ways that respond to specific needs or wants – proving that diversity can come from even the simplest components when constructed correctly.
It Is Clear That The Complexity Of The Task And The Number Of Dimensions Available For Creating Different Outcomes Play A Large Role In Determining How Many Ways Something Can Be Built
There are numerous constraints that can limit diversity, as highlighted in the book Diversity and Complexity.
Factors such as the number of ways a type’s parts can be put together, the size of its parts, and even its size compared to its niche can all affect how much diversity is present.
For example, larger animals require more food and space in order to survive than smaller organisms like insects and bacteria.
This means that there will generally be fewer large animals present than small ones, thus limiting their diversity.
Additionally, if types become too reliant on each other for survival then this further constrains their ability to diversify.
It’s easy to think about things like books and computers when thinking about different types of things; books have far less interdependence between them than computer operating systems do with other software programs, computers or servers.
Thus books have more potential for diversification because they don’t need to integrate with many outside sources for functioning properly.
Understanding the many factors that can help or hinder potential for diversification helps us better understand our own world.
The Seating On An Airplane Is Ordered While Dance Floor Movements Are Complex
Having many parts in a system does not automatically signal complexity – complexity is found between order and randomness, otherwise referred to as BOAR.
An example of this is an IKEA bookshelf – there may be many individual pieces included, but the instructions make it relatively straightforward to assemble.
Even flipping a coin can be considered an example of something that has randomness but no real complexity; no matter how many coins you flip, it will still always be random.
On the other hand, complex systems have both orderly andrandom elements.
Consider the game “cakewalk” for instance; players are following certain rules by walking around a clock in the same direction, but at different speeds and nobody knows when the music will stop.
Thus as one observes the patterns of movement in this game they will find something quite complex amidst all these elements of order and randomness.
Understanding Complexity: How Small Changes Can Have Big Repercussions
Complex systems are notoriously difficult to predict and unstable.
That’s because they don’t operate according to strict rules or patterns, making it much harder to understand their potential outcomes or future behaviors.
Complexity is also present in small systems — like a population of 100 people — that can suddenly become unstable after only a few small changes occur.
For example, ten participants may start a riot in the game of “cakewalk” that quickly gains momentum and overwhelms the rest of the group.
Similarly, if just 10 people were to begin rioting in a population of 100 people, the entire system could collapse into chaotic disorder with very little input from before.
These examples illustrate how complex systems can shock us with large-scale chaos and disruption when we least expect it — something that complicated systems rarely do.
Robustness Is Essential For Surviving Tough Situations
When it comes to complex systems, diversity is a key factor of robustness.
Simply put, the more diverse a system is, the better it is able to function in times of disturbance or uncertainty.
Take for example a field with different crops – the higher the number of crops, the bigger their yield.
Similarly, if you have a stock portfolio with various types of companies from differing industries, you are going to have more robust results than if all those stocks come from just one sector where small changes can adversely affect performance.
The same applies to ecosystems – when there is limited variety in species, they can all be easily influenced by the same factors and this makes them less robust.
The Irish potato famine stands as an example of this concept: as almost all potato plants were of the same variety, there was little variation and therefore little diversity, leaving them vulnerable to any catastrophes like disease or blight which led to loss of most potatoes during that period.
In conclusion, having greater diversity boosts robustness in complex systems – whether it’s with crops fields, stock portfolios or entire ecosystems – so it’s crucial that we preserve this diversity in order to maximize our success even when faced with changing conditions.
Diminishing Returns: Adding Different Types Increases System Performance
The Diversity and Complexity Book Summary shows us that it is better to diversify rather than just adding more of the same type in a system.
As the concept of diminishing returns states, every time you add another individual of the same type it becomes less valuable than the first addition.
So if you were assembling a product development team, it would be way more beneficial to add different types of specialists rather than more computer engineers – they’ll still be helpful but don’t give as big of an impact compared to the other specialists.
For example, if you had three types of stores in a shopping mall (Type A, Type B and Type C), having three stores from one type may perform at only 60 percent – lower than those with two stores from one type and one store from another that have an 80 percent performance rate.
This proves that too much of the same may offer diminishing returns for complex systems.
The Importance Of Diversity In Creating Robust And Resilient Systems
Our world is becoming increasingly complex, and it’s essential that we recognize the greater need for diversity within this highly complex environment.
Every day we participate in numerous intricate systems, from setting up an alert on our phone to taking the train to work.
We’ve already seen how diversity can improve the performance of complex systems; not only does it make them more resilient, but any crisis or disruption can be mitigated by diversifying well.
For example, bees require a wide range of flower species to survive, so monocultures can block their access to these resources.
If bees were to go extinct, many plants species would follow suit.
Similarly, the 2008 financial crisis was caused by a lack of diversity in both financial products (subprime mortgages) and strategies.
Had there been a robust system in place that included various levels of risk, resulting damage could have potentially been less severe and/or recover faster.
The same goes for stock portfolios; combining stocks from different industries with varying levels of risk is much more likely to be resistant to market fluctuations than investing solely in risky assets for higher returns – and will weather better if one sector takes a hit.
Overall, the need for diversity has never been greater – when we don’t diversify enough, our complex systems become far more susceptible to large-scale crisis occurrences than they otherwise should be.
Wrap Up
The key takeaway from Diversity and Complexity is that greater diversity means a more robust system capable of better performance.
This holds true in all complex systems, from financial markets to ecosystems.
Having different types of components encourages innovation, as it forces these elements to find new ways to coexist or compete for resources.
Furthermore, having diverse components in a system leads to greater resilience, since one type does not overwhelm the other.
Overall, diversity and complexity are key elements of high-functioning systems in the world.
