Campbell Law Innovation Institute hosts introduction to complexity theory on Oct. 28

The Campbell Law Innovation Institute will host an introductory-level talk on complexity theory in-person and virtually at noon on Thursday, Oct. 28, in Room 307 and on Zoom, CLII Director Kevin Lee has announced.

“On Friday, Oct. 15, we had an outstanding Launch Event for the Campbell Law Innovation Institute, with more than 140 attendees, including some in China, Japan, Korea, Nigeria, Ghana, Italy, Germany, and the UK,” Lee explained. “To capitalize on our momentum, we are moving ahead quickly with a talk by Professor Bill Rand of the Poole School for Management at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Bill is also the executive director of their Business Analytics and Initiative. He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Michigan and has been a fellow at the Santa Fe Institute for Complexity Studies. So, he is remarkably well-credentialed to give an introductory-level talk on complexity theory.”

The event is free and open to the public but attendees are asked to please register for the event at this link.

Complexity theory is extremely important and influential in the social sciences now, Lee continued.

“Since the 1990s, as information technology has gathered data and computational power to model social interactions, complexity theory has been influential in re-thinking fundamental beliefs about organization and meaning in society,” he said.  “Critically, social sciences have found that societies are composed of complex systems, and that systems theory can be extremely insightful for thinking about social ontology, politics, ethics and law.”

Understanding complexity theory is significant for understanding much of contemporary social thought, Lee added.

“It is influential for economists, sociologists, anthropologists, but also political theory and jurisprudence,” he said. “So, we are excited to bring Dr. Rand to campus.”

The CLII  is focused on the myriad of issues raised by the use of advanced technologies in the delivery of legal services, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and quantum computing. The focus of the  Innovation institute will be on investigating and teaching the perspectives, theories, and practical means to prepare lawyers and students to address the profound changes that new technologies are bringing. Through research and teaching, it promotes the ethical applications of technology within the legal sector and in society at large. Initially, the Institute will be developing a variety of CLEs including Legal Technology CLEs and Ethics CLEs.