Erdi / Érdi Complexity Explained

1. Auflage 2007
ISBN: 978-3-540-35778-0
Verlag: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 397 Seiten

This book explains why complex systems research is important in understanding the structure, function and dynamics of complex natural and social phenomena. It illuminates how complex collective behavior emerges from the parts of a system, due to the interaction between the system and its environment. Readers will learn the basic concepts and methods of complex system research. The book is not highly technical mathematically, but teaches and uses the basic mathematical notions of dynamical system theory, making the book useful for students of science majors and graduate courses.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Erdi, Peter

Érdi, Péter

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Preface;6
2;Contents;9
3;1 Complex Systems: The Intellectual Landscape;14
3.1;1.1 The Century of Complexity?;14
3.2;1.2 Characteristics of Simple and Complex Systems;18
3.3;1.3 Connecting the Dots;33
4;2 History of Complex Systems Research;37
4.1;2.1 Reductionist Success Stories Versus the Importance of Organization Principles;37
4.2;2.2 Ancestors of present day complex system research;47
5;3 From the Clockwork World View to Irreversibility ( and Back?);68
5.1;3.1 Cyclic Universe Versus Linear Time Concept: the Metaphysical Perspective;68
5.2;3.2 The Newtonian Clockwork Universe;72
5.3;3.3 Mechanics Versus Thermodynamics;86
5.4;3.4 The Birth of the Modern Theory of Dynamical Systems;90
5.5;3.5 Oscillations;92
5.6;3.6 The Chaos Paradigm: Then and Now;98
5.7;3.7 Direction of Evolution;111
5.8;3.8 Cyclic Universe: Revisited. . . and Criticized;116
6;4 The Dynamic World View in Action;119
6.1;4.1 Causality, Teleology and About the Scope and Limits of the Dynamical Paradigm;119
6.2;4.2 Chemical Kinetics: A Prototype of Nonlinear Science;123
6.3;4.3 Systems Biology: The Half Admitted Renaissance of Cybernetics and Systems Theory;140
6.4;4.4 Population Dynamic and Epidemic Models: Biological and Social;150
6.5;4.5 Evolutionary Dynamics;157
6.6;4.6 Dynamic Models of War and Love;158
6.7;4.7 Social Dynamics: Some Examples;164
6.8;4.8 Nonlinear Dynamics in Economics: Some Examples;169
6.9;4.9 Drug Market: Controlling Chaos;172
7;5 The Search for Laws: Deductive Versus Inductive;174
7.1;5.1 Deductive Versus Inductive Arguments;174
7.2;5.2 Principia Mathematica and the Deductive Approach: From Newton to Russell and Whitehead;176
7.3;5.3 Karl Popper and the Problem of Induction;178
7.4;5.4 Cybernetics: Bridge Between Natural and Artificial;178
7.5;5.5 John von Neumann: The Real Pioneer of Complex Systems Studies;179
7.6;5.6 Artificial Intelligence, Herbert Simon and the Bounded Rationality;184
7.7;5.7 Inductive Reasoning and Bounded Rationality: from Herbert Simon to Brian Arthur;187
7.8;5.8 Minority Game;189
7.9;5.9 Summary and "What Next?";191
8;6 Statistical Laws: From Symmetric to Asymmetric;193
8.1;6.1 Normal Distribution;193
8.2;6.2 Bimodal and Multimodal Distributions;198
8.3;6.3 Long Tail Distributions;199
9;7 Simple and Complex Structures: Between Order and Randomness;208
9.1;7.1 Complexity and Randomness;208
9.2;7.2 Structural Complexity;210
9.3;7.3 Noise-Induced Ordering: An Elementary Mathematical Model;224
9.4;7.4 Networks Everywhere: Between Order and Randomness;226
10;8 Complexity of the Brain: Structure, Function and Dynamics;243
10.1;8.1 Introductory Remarks;243
10.2;8.2 Windows on the Brain;244
10.3;8.3 Approaches and Organizational Principles;247
10.4;8.4 Single Cells;253
10.5;8.5 Structure, Dynamics, Function;261
10.6;8.6 Complexity and Cybernetics: Towards a Unified Theory of Brain- Mind and Computer;295
11;9 From Models to Decision Making;310
11.1;9.1 Equation-Based Versus Agent-Based Model;310
11.2;9.2 Game Theory: Where We Are Now?;323
11.3;9.3 Widening the Limits to Predictions: Earthquake, Eruptions Epileptics Seizures, and Stock Market Crashes;333
12;10 How Many Cultures We Have?;357
12.1;10.1 Complexity as a Unifying Concept;357
12.2;10.2 The Ingredients of Complex Systems;361
12.3;10.3 Complexity Explained: In Defense of (Bounded) Rationality;363
13;References;369
14;Index;396