Dr Maks's Key Ideas from How Nature Works
by Per Bak

Because systems operate on the edge of chaos, predicting when big changes will happen is nearly impossible. Nature isn’t random—but it’s not fully predictable either.

SOC systems follow power laws, meaning small events happen often, but large ones—though rare—are inevitable. It’s the mathematics behind earthquakes, extinctions, and even viral trends.

Simple rules—like stacking sand—can lead to unexpected, complex behavior. SOC helps explain how intelligence, patterns, and order emerge without a central planner.

From brain activity to traffic flows to forest fires—many systems we live in exist at a “critical” threshold. They're stable, yet one step from major disruption.

SOC reveals that disasters aren’t outliers; they’re part of how complex systems work. The “big one” is not an exception, but an expected outcome over time.

While chaos theory shows small causes can have big effects, SOC refines this by showing that structure and order still emerge from apparent randomness.

Fossil records show long stability, then sudden extinctions. SOC explains these patterns without needing external shocks. Nature self-tunes to moments of transformation.

In SOC systems, stability always hides latent potential for change. Understanding this doesn’t mean fearing disruption—it means preparing for it, adapting wisely, and acting with humility in complex environments.