Emergence

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1. orielJul 2024
   This has been a topic of interest for me for almost a decade so far.

   See also: non-linear dynamics, dynamical systems

   The study of Complexity in the US Sciences is fairly recent, with the notable kickoff of the Santa Fe Institute [1]. They have all the resources there, from classes to scientific conferences.

   A few book recommendations I've picked up over the years:

   - Lewin, Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos [2] (recommended for a gentle introduction with history)

   - Gleick, Chaos: Making a New Science [3]

   - Holland, Emergence: From Chaos To Order [4]

   - Holland, Signals and Boundaries: Building Blocks for Complex Adaptive Systems [5]

   - Holland, Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity [6] (unread but part of the series)

   - Miller, Complex Adaptive Systems: An Introduction to Computational Models of Social Life [7]

   - Strogatz, Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: With Applications To Physics, Biology, Chemistry, And Engineering [11] (edit: forgot i had this on my desk)

   Also a shoutout to Stephen Wolfram, reading one of his articles [8] about underlying structures while stuck at an airport proved to be a pivotal moment in my life.

   - Wolfram's New Kind of Science, as an exploration of simple rules computed to the point of complex behavior. [9]

   - Wolfram's Physics Project, a later iteration on NKS ideas with some significant and thorough publication of work. [10]

   Links:

   [1] https://www.santafe.edu/

   [2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226476553

   [3] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143113453

   [4] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738201421

   [5] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0262525933

   [6] https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Order-Adaptation-Builds-Comple...

   [7] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691127026

   [8] https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2015/12/what-is-spacetim...

   [9] https://www.wolframscience.com/nks/

   [10] https://wolframphysics.org/

   [11] https://www.amazon.com/Nonlinear-Dynamics-Chaos-Applications...

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2. montalbanoMay 2020
   My favourite essay on Emergence is by one of the founders of its investigation, John Holland:

   http://www.philosophica.ugent.be/fulltexts/59-2.pdf

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3. mathattackAug 2013
   When I first read John Holland's book on Emergence it opened my eyes to an exciting new field.

   http://www.amazon.com/dp/0738201421

   I'm not sure if we can solve AI in an 8 bit cellular automata, but the general concept of intelligence emerging versus being designed certainly rings true with human evolution.

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