... and yet, chaos by itself doesn't explain the structure, the coherence, the self-organizing cohesiveness of complex systems.

Instead, all complex systems have somehow acquired the ability to bring order and chaos into a special kind of balance. This balance point --- often called the edge of chaos --- is where the components of a system never quite lock into place, and yet never quite dissolve into turbulence, either.

The edge of chaos is where life has enough stability to sustain itself and enough creativity to deserve the name of life.

The edge of chaos is the constantly shifting battle zone between stagnation and anarchy, the one place where a complex system can be spontaneous, adaptive, and alive.