complexity : timeless beauty.

We need to redefine complexity because it’s seen as a thing to avoid instead of a thing to chase. Simplicity gets all the attention; and it frames complexity as a sin. I think we’re confusing complexity for convolution (complexity gone wrong). I’d argue that complexity is the holy grail.

Nature, art, and technology all matter because of their complexity. Complexity is beauty. It’s when a bunch of simple patterns overlap in a harmonious way to create something profound. A beautiful painting might appear simple, but if you analyze and isolate the patterns, you realize how much action is happening under the hood of your attention.

If complexity is about the volume of synchronized detail, then it’s also what makes are timeless. A Beatles song hits you the first time you hear it. On your second listen, you’ll notice things you missed. It still happens on your 20th time. I’ve been listening to Beatles songs with a careful ear for over 15 years and I’m still finding things I missed. I’m sure this will happen my whole life. The same is true for Emerson or Plato or Bosch. A great work of art is timeless because there is more detail than your attention can grasp at once; every time you return to it, you notice a different part and rejuvenates you.

A work of art that is complex is a timeless well of wisdom. Vervaeke defines this as sacred.