Cogprints
Login | Create Account

How can we think the complex?

Gershenson, Carlos and Heylighen, Francis (2004) How can we think the complex? [Book Chapter] (Unpublished)

Full text available as:

[img]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
93Kb

Abstract

In this chapter we want to provide philosophical tools for understanding and reasoning about complex systems. Classical thinking, which is taught at most schools and universities, has several problems for coping with complexity. We review classical thinking and its drawbacks when dealing with complexity, for then presenting ways of thinking which allow the better understanding of complex systems. Examples illustrate the ideas presented. This chapter does not deal with specific tools and techniques for managing complex systems, but we try to bring forth ideas that facilitate the thinking and speaking about complex systems.

Item Type:Book Chapter
Keywords:complexity, philosophy, causality, emergence
Subjects:Philosophy > Philosophy of Science
ID Code:3439
Deposited By:Gershenson, Carlos
Deposited On:04 Mar 2004
Last Modified:12 Sep 2007 17:51

References in Article

Select the SEEK icon to attempt to find the referenced article. If it does not appear to be in cogprints you will be forwarded to the paracite service. Poorly formated references will probably not work.

Anderson, P. W. (1972). More is different. Science 177 (4047):393-396.

Ashby, W. R. (1962). Principles of the Self-organizing System. In von Foerster, H. and G. W. Zopf, Jr. (Eds.), Principles of Self-organization. Pergamon Press, pp. 255-278.

Bar-Yam, Y. (1997). Dynamics of Complex Systems. Addison-Wesley. http://necsi.org/publications/dcs

Beer, S. (1966). Decision and Control: The Meaning of Operational Research and Management Cybernetics. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chen, G., and X. H. Yu (2003) (eds.). Chaos Control: Theory and Applications. Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences, 292. Springer Verlag.

Gershenson, C. (2002a). Complex Philosophy. Proceedings of the 1st Biennial Seminar on Philosophical, Methodological & Epistemological Implications of Complexity Theory. La Habana, Cuba. Also in InterJournal of Complex Systems, 544. http://arXiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0109001

Gershenson, C. (2002b). Classification of Random Boolean Networks In Standish, R. K., M. A. Bedau, and H. A. Abbass (eds.) Artificial Life VIII: Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Artificial Life. pp. 1-8. MIT Press. http://arxiv.org/abs/cs.CC/0208001

Gershenson, C. and F. Heylighen (2003). When Can we Call a System Self-organizing? In Banzhaf, W, T. Christaller, P. Dittrich, J. T. Kim, and J. Ziegler, Advances in Artificial Life, 7th European Conference, ECAL 2003, Dortmund, Germany, pp. 606-614. LNAI 2801. Springer. http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0303020

Gershenson, C., J. Broekaert, and D. Aerts (2003). Contextual Random Boolean Networks. In Banzhaf, W, T. Christaller, P. Dittrich, J. T. Kim, and J. Ziegler, Advances in Artificial Life, 7th European Conference, ECAL 2003, Dortmund, Germany, pp. 615-624. LNAI 2801. Springer. http://arxiv.org/abs/nlin.AO/0303021

Heylighen, F. (1989) Causality as Distinction Conservation: a theory of predictability, reversibility and time order, Cybernetics and Systems 20, p. 361-384.

Heylighen, F. (2003). The Science of Self-organization and Adaptivity, in: Knowledge Management, Organizational Intelligence and Learning, and Complexity, in: The Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems, EOLSS Publishers Co. Ltd.

Heylighen, F. and C. Joslyn (2001). Cybernetics and Second Order Cybernetics, in: R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopaedia of Physical Science & Technology, Vol. 4 (3rd ed.), Academic Press, pp. 155-170.

Heylighen, F. and C. Gershenson (2003). The Meaning of Self-organization in Computing. IEEE Intelligent Systems, section Trends & Controversies - Self-organization and Information Systems, July/August 2003, pp. 72-75.

Maturana, H. R. and F. J. Varela (1987). The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding. Shambhala.

Rosen, R. (1985). Anticipatory Systems. Pergamon.

Shalizi, C. R. (2001). Causal Architecture, Complexity and Self-Organization in Time Series and Cellular Automata. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Wisconsin at Madison.

ten Haaf W., H. Bikker, D.J. Adriaanse (2002) Fundamentals of Business Engineering and Management, A Systems Approach to People and Organisations, Delft University Press.

Metadata

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Cogprints is powered by EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits.