Systems at the Edge

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The previous four essays in this series developed a framework for thinking about adaptive physiology—velocity, stability, signal quality, consolidation, form. But somewhere along the way, I started noticing the same patterns everywhere. The concepts aren’t specific to endocrinology. They’re specific to complex adaptive systems in general.

This essay is an attempt to unpack that intuition. I want to see whether the framework scales—whether velocity, stability, and form are useful lenses for thinking about organizations, learning, cities, relationships, and other systems that have nothing to do with thyroid hormone or testosterone.

Complex Systems on Edward J. Edmonds

Systems at the Edge