Excerpt

Two World Systems

The scientific and social implications of differences between (A) closed, reversible, symmetry-dominated, and predictable classical domains and (B) open, self-organizing, dissipative, uncertain, and adaptive domains are the subject of this book.

At one limit—A—are fundamental regularities described using minimal assumptions, simple rule system, and few initial conditions. At the other—B—emergent regularities constructed from contingent histories, described with coarse-grained rules and nested boundary conditions.

Between A and B there is an uneven spectrum, shaped like a dumbbell with equilibrium structures at one end, non-equilibrium forms of self-organization in the middle, and fully adaptive self-synthesizing organizations with long evolutionary histories at the other.

Analyzing the connections between the simple A and the complex B requires much more than a powerful measurement device. Here there exist differences that can only be resolved by principles, models, and theories. Interestingly, the more powerful the device—the more finely grained the measurement—the less easily B can be distinguished from A. Hence reductionism in the units of analysis not only fails to explain complexity; it fails to detect it.

It is not possible to describe differences between A and B in terms of the fundamental laws of physics and chemistry. Both obey these laws. There is no new physics in a replicating virus not already found in a crystallizing mineral.

Indeed, viruses exploit properties of physics far-from-equilibrium to self-assemble within the cell. Human brains are no more or less concentrations of particles than cannon balls: both depend on covalent chemistry, and both respect the law of gravity. Yet meaningful theories of brains bear no resemblance to fundamental theory in physics.

And the complex world defies many of our best normative intentions. By working along the A–B spectrum, engineers have built ingenious electromagnetic communications networks that coordinate to span the globe. But when connecting diverse communities of different basic beliefs and values, the challenging dynamics of B often lead to outcomes described as unstable and iniquitous.

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