The Microscopic Representation of Complex Macroscopic Phenomena   (Critical Slowing Down - A Blessing in Disguise)
  Many complex systems are representable as macroscopic set of elements which interact by simple rules. The complex macroscopically relevant phenomena are then the result of the generic emergence of a space-time multi-scale dynamics. Critical Slowing Down labels the emerging global features and describes their complex collective evolution. This paradigm is quite universal and extends to a very wide range of systems and disciplines. 
Sorin Solomon