How can the science of complexity help young people realize their talents and choose their future?

Submitted: November 15, 2024
Accepted: December 30, 2024
Published: January 21, 2025
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We live in a world of great discoveries in all sciences, but also serious threats to our very existence. This is, of course, not the first nor the last time we will be faced with such challenges, but every time the stakes are higher. Who can we turn to for help in such situations, if not the young people whom we have inherited these threats and who will have to struggle with them in the future?  We all agree that Education is our best hope. We also know that Education is no longer an accumulation of knowledge, or an acquisition of aptitudes aiming to equip us with the means of securing employment. The explosive revolution in all realms of digital technology and access to information has changed everything. It is now, more than ever, imperative that the next generations develop a horizontally broad education, transgressing old boundaries, based on interdisciplinarity and a firm belief that, as Leonardo da Vinci noted, “everything is connected to everything else”. In this paper, I will try to elucidate how the new science of Complexity can help us achieve this goal, using several examples that can be used to infuse our youth with a true appreciation of all sciences and arts, excite their imagination and creativity, and enable them to face the difficulties that lie ahead. What, if not Education, can accomplish that? When, if not now?

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How to Cite

Bountis, A. (2025). How can the science of complexity help young people realize their talents and choose their future?. Proceedings of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, 4. https://doi.org/10.4081/peasa.50