[FRIAM] new math of complexity

[steve smith]

> Speaking of emergence, any takes on Phillip Ball's article in Quanta?
>
> https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-new-math-of-how-large-scale-order-emerges-20240610/
>
> I really liked his summary of the current non-explanations for 
> emergence, but I haven't had time to read further.
>
> -- rec --


As a member of a group here roughly described as "Complexity Groupies" I 
am heartened to hear Ball's acknowledgement that "nobody" really seems 
to have a good explanation of "what emergence is".  It feels parallel to 
art and pornography in the sense of "I don't know what it is, but I know 
it when I see it".

Terrence Deacon's classifications of dynamic systems seems to provide 
some insight or fine structure to emergence, though I don't know if it 
is widely interesting or helpful to others.  He applies it primarily to 
life unto consciousness studies.  It seems particularly apt to Ball's 
references to "heirarchical" systems while his references to "leaky" 
emergence rhymes (a little for me) with Herb Simon's "partially 
decomposable" systems.

As an aside, I don't think I would have recognized Crutchfield... I 
haven't seen him in person since about 2009 when he was doing an 
art-project with Woody Vasulka and microphone/speaker/ambient-space 
dynamical systems at the old bank building downtown?  Or maybe it was a 
few years earlier...

Deacon's classification system:

*homeodynamic:*A system is homeodynamic if its spontaneous, natural or 
unforced path leads towards equilibrium. Homeodynamics erases 
differences (e.g., in temperature or pressure).

*morphodynamic:*A system is morphodynamic if it tends to spontaneously 
increase in order. This generally involves external perturbations, but 
does not involve external design or imposition of form. Morphodynamics 
subsumes many standard examples of self-organization. Morphodynamics 
amplifies differences.

*teleodynamic:*A system is teleodynamic if its organization becomes 
spontaneously end-directed. Teleodynamic systems employ homeodynamic and 
morphodynamic processes in the service of a self. Terms like 
‘self-maintenance’ and ‘self-repair’ become natural and unavoidable in 
teleodynamic systems.


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