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Knowledge Under Pressure
On Complexity and Higher-order Thinking
Field notes from what we’ve been up to, what we’ve been taking in, and what we are thinking about at The Emergency Mind Project.
If you have ideas or things you’d like to see — or if you want to help and get more involved — I’d love to hear from you: dan@emergencymind.com
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EP 63: Shannon McNamara, MD, on Complexity and Emergence
Emergency doctor and simulation educator Shannon McNamara, MD, talks complexity, emergent properties, team dynamics, and much more.
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“Second order effects don’t fit onto bumper stickers” Easy and good article on the importance of second order thinking which looks for the effects of the effects of a decision which typically occur via feedback or feedforward systems. Also has some details on how to get better at 2nd order thinking.
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Second order thinking involves envisioning two steps down the line from a decision, not just the immediate effects a decision might bring about. It’s a subset of higher-order thinking, which in general looks at the downstream effects of a particular action. In emergency situations where we…
