There is no over-arching theory of complexity that allows us to ignore the contingent aspects of complex systems. If something really is complex, it … - Paul Cilliers

At the heart of the matter... our technologies have become more powerful than our theories... We can do with technology what we cannot do with science.

Each element in the system is ignorant of the behaviour of the system as a whole, it responds only to information that is available to it locally... If each element 'knew' what was happening to the system as a whole, all of the complexity would have to be present in that element.

In our analysis of complex systems (like the brain and language) we must avoid the trap of trying to find master keys. Because of the mechanisms by which complex systems structure themselves, single principles provide inadequate descriptions. We should rather be sensitive to complex and self-organizing interactions and appreciate the play of patterns that perpetually transforms the system itself as well as the environment in which it operates.