W. Brian Arthur

Professor at PARC and the Santa Fe Institute in the United States

W. Brian Arthur is a pioneering figure in the field of complexity economics, often referred to as its "father." Born in 1946 in Northern Ireland, Arthur has been recognized as one of America's leading economic thinkers by Fortune magazine. He has served as the Director of the Stanford University Economics and Population Studies Institute and has a long-standing association with the Santa Fe Institute, where he has held roles as a trustee and member of the Science Board. Arthur is currently a Senior Advisor to the President at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In 1990, he received the Schumpeter Prize for his work in economics, and in 2008, he was awarded the Lagrange Prize for his contributions to complexity science.

Arthur is a prolific and globally influential economist, known for his seminal works including "Complexity Economics," "The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves," "Economics as an Evolving Complex System II," and "Increasing Returns and Path Dependence in the Economy." He has published nearly a hundred high-quality academic papers in leading international journals such as Science, the American Economic Review (AER), and the Economic Journal (EJ), significantly impacting the field worldwide.

One of his most important contributions, "The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves," published in 2009, is a foundational text in the field of technology and economics. This work explores the essence of technology from within the "black box" and develops a comprehensive theory of the nature and evolution of technology. Written in accessible language, it eloquently explains fundamental concepts in the field of technology. The book's Chinese edition was officially published domestically in 2024.