Making sense of chaos
We live in an era of increasing complexity, where rapid technological advancement and global interconnection offer both unprecedented promise and peril. Financial crises, climate change, automation, growing inequality, and polarization all have deep economic roots—yet traditional economic models often fall short.
Many books have explored Doyne Farmer’s pioneering work in chaos and complexity theory. Making Sense of Chaos is the first to present his ideas in his own words—a manifesto for rethinking economics. Blending science with personal narrative, Farmer distills his deep expertise into an accessible exploration of how complexity theory can transform our understanding of economic systems.
For the first time, big data and ever more powerful computers allow us to apply complex systems science to economic activity, building realistic models of the global economy. These simulations and the emergent behaviors they reveal form the foundation of complexity economics. Farmer argues that this new science will enable us to test ideas, improve economic foresight, and tackle society’s most pressing challenges.
This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of the University of Amsterdam. Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso Amsterdam.
Talk by
Doyne Farmer
J. Doyne Farmer is the Director of the Complexity Economics program at the Institute for New Economic Thinking and the Baillie Gifford Professor of Complex Systems Science at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford. He also serves as an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and as CEO and Chief Scientist at Macrocosm. His current research focuses on economics, including agent-based modeling, financial instability, and technological progress. Previously, he co-founded Prediction Company, a quantitative automated trading firm later acquired by UBS in 2006. His past work spans complex systems, dynamical systems theory, time series analysis, and theoretical biology. His book, "Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World", was published in 2024. In the 1980s, Farmer was an Oppenheimer Fellow and founded the Complex Systems Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As a graduate student in the 1970s, he built the first wearable digital computer, successfully using it to predict the outcomes of roulette.
Music by
Rolodex
Unapologetically individual is a term that describes the Amsterdam-based band Rolodex to a T. The band combines influences from various genres including psychedelic rock, post-punk, latin and funk to create something that is totally their own. Soaring synthesizers, driven guitars, tight grooving drums and catchy melodies give Rolodex a distinct danceable sound with an edge. In Rolodex’s music we can find a bit of everyone, and something for everyone. Whether you’re in the mood to celebrate, in the mood to fight, or simply in the mood to dance, Rolodex will not disappoint.
