Bak's Sand Pile Quotes

“Bak postulated that power laws are the consequence of the build-up of complexity in systems due to various forms of self-organization. Self-organization is an emergent process of complex systems whereby simplicity is gradually replaced by complexity. The process is considered ‘self-organizing’ because to the outside observer, the emergence of complexity is intrinsic; it is contained within the system itself. In most systems, however, self-organizing requires energy to transform or rearrange the inner workings of the system.”
― Theodore G. Lewis, Bak's Sand Pile: Strategies for a Catastrophic World

“we can calculate the probability of an avalanche of a certain size. For example, we know that approximately 40,000 people in the United States die in traffic accidents every year, and yet we have no way of predicting which person will die next.”
― Theodore G. Lewis, Bak's Sand Pile: Strategies for a Catastrophic World

“Modern systems weren’t designed to be resilient, self-correcting, and secure, but rather to be low-cost, efficient, and optimized for profitability.”
― Theodore G. Lewis, Bak's Sand Pile: Strategies for a Catastrophic World