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Simple Rules Create Complex Behaviour
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A handful of rules, applied repeatedly, can generate endlessly rich behaviour.
The Idea
Conway's Game of Life has three rules and produces structures that seem alive. Boids follow three simple rules and produce flocking. Markets obey a few principles and generate economies. Complexity is not the enemy of simplicity at the rule level — it's the offspring of it.
Why It Matters
- You don't need complex rules to produce complex behaviour.
- Designing simple rules is leverage; designing complex ones is brittleness.
- Systems with too many rules can't surprise you in good ways.
How to Apply
- When designing a system, start with 2-5 rules.
- Watch the behaviour. Add rules only when gaps are clear.
- Resist the urge to rule every edge case.
Examples
- Git's object model: a handful of primitives, unlimited possibilities.
- Markets: supply, demand, price — from these come economies.
- Good team norms: few, memorable, widely applied.
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