Session 1 (Part 1: Complexity and the Limits of Predictability)

Part 1:
Stefan Thurner (Complexity Science Hub, Vienna), Didier Sornette (Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen), Vincent Lam (University of Bern), David Krakauer (Santa Fe Institute)

Moderation: Karim Bschir (University of St. Gallen)

All human knowledge is affected by uncertainty. Even our best scientific theories do not explain everything, and although science has become remarkably good at predicting various complex phenomena, such as the climate or the dynamics of a global pandemic, its predictions remain inherently limited. But what is the root of this uncertainty? Is it merely a consequence of our limited understanding of reality? Or is reality itself fundamentally uncertain and essentially unpredictable? This symposium brings together leading scholars from complexity science, quantum physics, and philosophy to explore the nature of uncertainty and its implications for science, human decision-making, and our broader understanding of reality.