Levels, perspective, and thickets: toward an ontology of complex scaffolded living systems – Griesemer (2021)

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Excellent paper discussing how to understand complex systems (eg biology) where levels not only interact but intersect
Strong critique of Simon’s notion of near-decomposable systems
https://griesemer.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/69-griesemer-2021-levels-perspectives-thickets.pdf…
Luiz Pessoa on X: “𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Excellent paper discussing how to understand complex systems (eg biology) where levels not only interact but intersect Strong critique of Simon’s notion of near-decomposable systems https://t.co/Xp7BNFG5OP https://t.co/4DOMk9Dg84” / X

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Excellent paper discussing how to understand complex systems (eg biology) where levels not only interact but intersect
Strong critique of Simon's notion of near-decomposable systemshttps://t.co/Xp7BNFG5OP pic.twitter.com/4DOMk9Dg84
— Luiz Pessoa (@PessoaBrain) January 26, 2026