2. Complexity Mechanisms and Methods

Next: LINK to 'More Concepts' (by Gerard Weisbuch)
Up: Table of contents
Previous: Popular Books

Even though the Complexity community had to take its distance from the core of theoretical physics due to the
unenthusiastic reception it received there, many of the crucial ingredients of Complexity appeared in the
context of Theoretical Physics. In fact Anderson listed [4] as his preferred examples phenomena which take place
in physical systems: superconductivity, superfluidity, condensation of nucleons in nuclei, neutron stars, glasses.

He emphasized that in spite of the fact that microscopic interactions in the above phenomena are very different
they can be all explained as realizations of a single dynamical concept: Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking.
Similarly, the laws of emergence of computing (and thinking?) are independent of whether they are implemented on
elementary objects consisting of silicon, vacuum tubes, or neurons. Therefore, the mere fact that various
phenomena fall superficially in different empirical domains should not discourage scientists to study them
within a unified conceptual framework. This birth gift of an extreme unifying potential haunted in the
intervening 30 years the Complexity community as its main blessing and curse.

The role of Complexity ideas and techniques originating in theoretical physics is hopefully going to grow in the
future as more and more theorists realize the inexhaustible source of fascinating challenges that real world
offers to their thought.

After all, the renormalization group was introduced exactly in order to bridge between elementary microscopic interactions and their macroscopic collective effects.

Next: LINK to 'More Concepts' (by Gerard Weisbuch)
Up: Table of contents
Previous: Popular Books