Newton’s First Law of Motion: A body in motion remains in motion and a body at rest remains at rest until acted upon by some unbalanced force.
In the same way that Newtonian physics is giving way to nonlinear dynamics, it is time for Newtonian social science to give way to human systems dynamics. We need a new theory of change that works when boundaries are fluid, diversity is extreme, and communications are fast and uncontrolled. Under these conditions, change is driven by the tension of differences within the system, rather than force imposed from outside.