A complex adaptive system is one where components cannot be usefully isolated, interactions refuse deterministic outcomes, and the manipulation of one variable spawns emergent behaviors in others. Interdependence is a defining feature. These systems resist reductionism because their components dance together in ways that generate novel information and inherently thwart predictability. A complex system’s parts are by definition inseparable. Because if you separate them, you fundamentally alter the parts themselves. You cannot untangle one thread without pulling many.