More is different is the idea that things are more than the sum of their parts and that complexity often adds value in hard to define ways. It is often explained with a thought experiment known as the Butterfly Effect.
Butterfly Effect
The Butterfly Effect is the theory that a small event can result in a chain reaction that triggers greater events. It is explained with an analogy to a butterfly flapping its wings in some distance place triggering a significant event such as a global recession. The butterfly effect suggests that complexity has unpredictable value. In other words, that more is different. This implies that things are more than the sum of their parts. Complex interactions occur between things that involve random and obscure factors that are prohibitively complex to fully model or predict. The world minus one butterfly could be a dramatically different place.
More is Different vs Minimalism
Minimalism is an approach to strategy and design that seeks to remove all that is "unnecessary." Minimalists tend to believe that it is possible to remove a great number of things without losing any value. In fact, minimalists will argue that removing things tends to add value by making things simpler, easier, smaller and more efficient.Taken to an extreme, minimalism tends to result in a depressing lack of diversity. More is different, as a philosophy, values diversity and questions the drive to constantly reduce things to less.
More is Different vs Simple Logic
More is different suggests that techniques such as modeling complex situations with simple analogies is often inaccurate.
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