Author: Mat Schulze

professor, linguist, writer, blogger, manifestor Reflecting on change and complexity. Thinking about learning – learning to think. Smithing words and professing. Personal on texterium.org, professional on pantarhei.press

Spring cleaning. Late?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
And done. 
Not gone. 
Everything in its place. 
And the plans laid out.

Hey, Friend,

This blog is about complexity and change, the complexity of change, at times on language, on learning, and on language learning. You knew that, right? That remains so, and I am bringing back two ideas that I tried out on Texterium:

  • Just words: Whenever I have a word that is used when we talk about complexity, change, language, learning, it might be good to play with it, to get to know it better.
  • Backsight: Looking at print, audio, video – again on complexity, change, language, learning – to remember, reflect, and review.

I hope you will enjoy the reading and browsing at least half as much as I enjoy the writing.

complex & simple, difficult & easy

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Hey, Friend,

I keep using the word complex a lot. And it is not simple. It does not have to be difficult either. It can be easy. And simple can be difficult. Agreed? Or confused?

This is how I am using these words: I say complex when I see many different parts or variables that interact. Again and again. The system is dynamic. It changes. It is complex. When you plot how the system – or only one of its variables – changes over time, you get a nonlinear graph and not a straight line. It is complex. If there is only one variable – which is very rare – then its change is simple. The change is steady. Cause and effect are proportionate. The graph is linear. Simple. David Snowden calls these simple problems.

Most things, most processes are complex. It’s the interacting parts and variables. A complex process or even a task does not have to be difficult. Difficult is subjective. It is a category of our mind. Complex is a feature of the thing itself. Simple is a feature of the thing itself. So, I can experience the simple as difficult. (And personally, then I am procrastinating or it is more likely that I do.) And of course, I can find the complex easy. If I put my mind to it and tackle it now.

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