With a field so broad in both breadth and depth as that making up the
contemporary study of complex systems, it is well nigh impossible to
cover all the bases underlying the development of well argued, robust and
relevant understanding of these systems. That is one of the reasons why the
international journal Emergence: Complexity and Organization has offered
a Classical Paper in each issue. Now, in this current volume we have made
available in one publication venue the diverse Classical Paper that have
been published so far in E:CO. These papers are offered not only to enrich
our current understandings by exhibiting the historical background to many
of today’s leading complexity-based ideas, perspectives, and methods. They
are also gathered here to help address some of the difficulties confronting
not only complexity thinkers, but for that matter any thinker sincerely
trying to grasp the novel situations and novel difficulties we face in modern times.