THE WORLD IS COMPLEX:

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THE WORLD IS COMPLEX  HOW TO DISTINGUISH
COMPLEXITY FROM COMPLICATION

• D. C. Mikulecky
• Professor Emeritus and Senior Fellow Center for
  the Study of Biological ComplexityVirginia
  Commonwealth University

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WHAT I HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH

• PROVIDE A UNIQUE, WORKABLE CONCEPT OF COMPLEXITY
• MAKE A CLEAR DISTICTION BETWEEN THE REAL WORLD
  AND THOSE FORMAL THINGS WE DO TO TRY TO MODEL IT
• SHOW HOW THE FORMAL DESCRIPTION OF THE REAL WORLD
  REDUCES IT TO SIMPLE MECHANISMS
• EXPLAIN THE DIFFICULTY INHERENT IN THIS
  EPISTEMOLOGY
• SHOW THAT THIS DEFINITION CAN BE IGNORED, BUT NOT
  WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF KNOWLEDGE

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CAN WE DEFINE COMPLEXITY?

• Complexity is the property of a real world
  system that is manifest in the inability of any
  one formalism being adequate to capture all its
  properties. It requires that we find distinctly
  different ways of interacting with systems.
  Distinctly different in
• the sense that when we make successful
  models, the formal systems needed to describe
  each distinct aspect are NOT
• derivable from each other

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COMPLEXITY VS COMPLICATION

• Von NEUMAN THOUGHT THAT A CRITICAL LEVEL OF
  SYSTEM SIZE WOULD TRIGGER THE ONSET OF
  COMPLEXITY (REALLY COMPLICATION)
• COMPLEXITY IS MORE A FUNCTION OF SYSTEM QUALITIES
  RATHER THAN SIZE
• COMPLEXITY RESULTS FROM BIFURCATIONS -NOT IN THE
  DYNAMICS, BUT IN THE DESCRIPTION!
• THUS COMPLEX SYSTEMS REQUIRE THAT THEY BE ENCODED
  INTO MORE THAN ONE FORMAL SYSTEM IN ORDER TO BE
  MORE COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD

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NATURAL VS FORMAL SYSTEMS

• THE REAL WORLD IS COMPLEX
• WE HAVE TREATED IT FORMALLY AS IF IT WERE SIMPLE
• THE RESULT IS THE DISCOVERY OF COMPLEXITY,
  EMERGENCE,ETC.
• THE IDEA IS BEST SEEN USING THE MODELING RELATION

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THE MODELING RELATION THE ESSENCE OF SCIENCE

• ALLOWS US TO ASSIGN MEANING TO THE WORLD AROUND
  US
• A MODEL OF OUR THINKING PROCESS
• CAUSALITY IN THE NATURAL SYSTEM IS DEALT WITH
  THROUGH IMPLICATION IN A FORMAL SYSTEM
• THERE IS AN ENCODING OF THE NATURAL SYSTEM INTO
  THE FORMAL SYSTEM AND A DECODING BACK
• WHEN IT ALL HANGS TOGETHER WE HAVE A MODEL

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THE MODELING RELATION A MODEL OF HOW WE MAKE
MODELS
ENCODING
NATURAL SYSTEM
FORMAL SYSTEM
CAUSAL EVENT
IMPLICATION
DECODING
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
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WE HAVE A USEFUL MODEL WHEN
AND
ARE SATISFACTORY WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING THE
CHANGE IN THE WORLD OUT THERE
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THE MODELING RELATION A MODEL OF HOW WE MAKE
MODELS
ENCODING
NATURAL SYSTEM
FORMAL SYSTEM
CAUSAL EVENT
MANIPULATION
DECODING
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
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WHAT TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DID TO THE MODELING
RELATION
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
MANIPULATION
CAUSAL EVENT
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
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WHAT TRADITIONAL SCIENCE DID TO THE MODELING
RELATION
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
MANIPULATION
FORMAL SYSTEM
NATURAL SYSTEM
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SCIENCE REDUCED THE WORLD TO SIMPLE MECHANISMS

• THE USUAL SCIENTIFIC PICTURE OF REALITY IS A
  MECHANISM
• DEFICIENT IN CAUSAL RELATIONS
• FRAGMENTABLE TO ATOMS AND MOLECULES
• NOT GENERIC BUT TREATED AS IF THEY WERE

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COMPLEXITY

• REQUIRES A CIRCLE OF IDEAS AND METHODS THAT
  DEPART RADICALLY FROM THOSE TAKEN AS AXIOMATIC
  FOR THE PAST 300 YEARS
• OUR CURRENT SYSTEMS THEORY, INCLUDING ALL THAT IS
  TAKEN FROM PHYSICS OR PHYSICAL SCIENCE, DEALS
  EXCLUSIVELY WITH SIMPLE SYSTEMS OR MECHANISMS
• COMPLEX AND SIMPLE SYSTEMS ARE DISJOINT
  CATEGORIES

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COMPLEX SYSTEMS VS SIMPLE MECHANISMS

• COMPLEX
• NO LARGEST MODEL
• WHOLE MORE THAN SUM OF PARTS
• CAUSAL RELATIONS RICH AND INTERTWINED
• GENERIC
• ANALYTIC ? SYNTHETIC
• NON-FRAGMENTABLE
• NON-COMPUTABLE
• REAL WORLD

• SIMPLE
• LARGEST MODEL
• WHOLE IS SUM OF PARTS
• CAUSAL RELATIONS DISTINCT
• N0N-GENERIC
• ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC
• FRAGMENTABLE
• COMPUTABLE
• FORMAL SYSTEM

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WHY IS ORGANIZATION SPECIAL? BEYOND MERE ATOMS
AND MOLECULES

• IS THE WHOLE MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS?
• IF IT IS THERE IS SOMETHING THAT IS LOST WHEN WE
  BREAK IT DOWN TO ATOMS AND MOLECULES
• THAT SOMETHING MUST EXIST

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WHAT IS ORGANIZATION?
DICTIONARY DEFINITION NOUN 1. THE ACT OR
PROCESS OF BEING ORGANIZED 2.THE CONDITION OR
MANNER OF BEING ORGANIZED (ALSO ASSOCIATION OR
SOCIETY AND ITS PERSONNEL)
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TO ORGANIZE
DICTIONARY DEFINITION VERB 1. TO CAUSE OR
DEVELOP AN ORGANIC STRUCTURE 2. TO ARRANGE OR
FORM INTO A COHERENT UNITYOR FUNCTIONING WHOLE,
TO INTEGRATE 3. TO ARRANGE ELEMENTS INTO A
WHOLE OF INTERDEPENDENT PARTS
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NOUN OR VERB OR ADJECTIVE?

• AN ORGANIZED DESK
• AN ORGANIZED CORPORATION
• AN ORGANIZED AUTOMOBILE
• AN ORGANIZED FROG
• AN ORGANIZED ECOSYSTEM

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WHAT MAKES BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION UNIQUE?

• SELF-REFERENCE
• CONTINGENCY
• PARALLEL DISTRIBUTION
• MAPPINGS ARE MANY TO MANY RATHER THAN ONE TO ONE
• CAUSALITY IS INTERTWINED
• CATABOLISM AND ANABOLISM ARE BOTH IMPORTANT
• MECHANISMS ARE SPECIAL

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EVEN IN THE WORLD OF MECHANISMS THERE ARETHE
SEEDS OF COMPLEXITY THEORY

• THERMODYNAMIC REASONING
• OPEN SYSTEMS THERMODYNAMICS
• NETWORK THERMODYNAMICS

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THE NATURE OF THERMODYNAMIC REASONING

• THERMODYNAMICS IS ABOUT THOSE PROPERTIES OF
  SYSTEMS WHICH ARE TRUE INDEPENDENT OF MECHANISM
• THEREFORE WE CAN NOT LEARN TO DISTINGUISH
  MECHANISMS BY THERMODYNAMIC REASONING

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WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

• FORMALISMS HAVE LIMITS (GÖDEL)
• THEREFORE ONE FORMALISM IS NOT ENOUGH
• MECHANISTIC FORMALISMS ARE INADEQUATE FOR CERTAIN
  PROPERTIES, IN PARTICULAR CHANGES IN ORGANIZATION

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THE RELATIONAL APPROACH TO A COMPLEX REALITY

• FOCUS ON THE ORGANIZATION
• DEVELOP A SET OF FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS WHICH
  CAPTURE THAT ORGANIZATION
• UTILIZE THE CAUSAL RELATIONS RESULTING FROM
  ANSWERING WHY?

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FUNCTIONAL COMPONENTS

• MUST POSSESS ENOUGH IDENTITY TO BE CONSIDERED A
  THING
• MUST BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE PROPERTIES FROM LARGER
  SYSTEMS TO WHICH IT MAY BELONG
• ITS FORMAL IMAGE IS A MAPPING
  f A -----gt B
• THIS INTRODUCES A NEW KIND OF DYNAMICS
  RELATIONAL

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THE RELATIONAL DEFINITION OF INFORMATION

• SCIENCE HAS ASKED HOW? AND AS A RESULT HAD A
  MECHANISTIC DEFINITION OF INFORMATION
• THIS HAS INHERENT PROBLEMS SINCE IT CAN NOT DEAL
  WITH SEMANTICS AND SELF-REFERENCE
• WE ASK WHY? AND ARE IMMEDIATELY FORCED TO DEAL
  WITH CAUSAL ENTAILMENT
• THE RESULT IS PROFOUND IN THAT WE NOW DEAL WITH
  THE ESSENCE OF THAT SOMETHING THAT MAKES THE
  WHOLE MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS-THE MISSING
  LINK IN REDUCTIONISM
• WE NOW ARE FORCED TO DEAL WITH CLOSED LOOPS OF
  CAUSALITY AND OTHER IMPREDICATIVITIES (SORRY
  RUSSEL)

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THE FOUR BECAUSES WHY A HOUSE?

• MATERIAL THE STUFF ITS MADE OF
• EFFICIENT IT NEEDED A BUILDER
• FORMAL THERE WAS A BLUEPRINT
• FINAL IT HAS A PURPOSE

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METABOLISM/REPAIR SYSTEMS

• BASED ON INPUT/OUTPUT REPRESENTATIONS OF SYSTEMS
• MORE ABSTRACT
• ALLOW CAUSALITY TO BE REPRESENTED
• LEAD TO NEW INFORMATION
• ARE BASED ON RECOGNITION THAT BUILDING UP AND
  TEARING DOWN ARE PART OF THE LIFE PROCESS

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THE RELATIONAL REPRESENTATION

• INVOLVES MAPPINGS
• METABOLISM IS f A ? B
• A REPRESENTS METABOLITES WHICH CAN ALSO EXCHANGE
  WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
• B REPRESENTS THE RESULTS OF METABOLISM
• f IS A MAPPING FROM A TO B

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THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS

• A IS THE MATERIAL CAUSE OF B (DOTTED ARROW)
• f IS THE EFFICIENT CAUSE OF B
• OTHER COMPONENTS FOR REPAIR AND REPLICATION COME
  IN BECAUSE THESE COMPONENTS HAVE A FINITE
  LIFETIME CATABOLISM AND ANABOLISM OR TURNOVER

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ROSENS RELATIONAL MODEL OF THE ORGANISM
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ORGANISMS

• ARE COMPLEX SYSTEMS
• ARE CLOSED TO EFFICIENT CAUSE
• ARE AUTOPOIETIC UNITIES

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THE NEW VITALISM

• LIVING SYSTEMS POSESS A TYPE OF ORGANIZATION
  WHICH NON-LIVING SYSTEMS DO NOT
• THIS BIOLOGICAL ORGANIZATION WILL ALWAYS DEFY
  FORMALIZATION-IT HAS NON-COMPUTABLE COMPONENTS