The human mind is often regarded as the most complex structure in the universe. If anything could be argued to be of higher complexity it is a collection of interacting minds: social groups and societies. Kluver argues that social cognitive complexity(see Social Cognitive Complexity)stems from the fact that such systems consist of multiple (at least two – social and cognitive) levels that are constantly at flux due to the multiple influences both between and within levels.

The complexity of the subject matter of the social sciences has made adequate description using the traditional models of mathematics and physics difficult. For a long time it has been argued that tools of mathematics and physics are not adequate for social processes and therefore science had to proceed along two independent fronts that seemed irreconcilable (Snow, 1993).