Self-organized criticality

Self-organized criticality is a concept in which complex systems naturally evolve into a critical state, where a small change can lead to significant and unpredictable outcomes, much like a pile of sand that collapses after adding just one more grain. This phenomenon can be observed in various systems, such as earthquakes, forest fires, and even financial markets. The idea is that these systems self-organize without external intervention, reaching a balance between stability and chaos, making them inherently unpredictable yet structured in their complexity.