Ebook: Emergence in Complex, Cognitive, Social, and Biological Systems
- Tags: Theory of Computation, Systems Theory Control, Artificial Intelligence (incl. Robotics), Elementary Particles Quantum Field Theory
- Year: 2002
- Publisher: Springer US
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
The systems movement is made up of many systems societies as well as of disciplinary researchers and researches, explicitly or implicitly focusing on the subject of systemics, officially introduced in the scientific community fifty years ago. Many researches in different fields have been and continue to be sources of new ideas and challenges for the systems community. To this regard, a very important topic is the one of EMERGENCE. Between the goals for the actual and future systems scientists there is certainly the definition of a general theory of emergence and the building of a general model of it. The Italian Systems Society, Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sui Sistemi (AIRS), decided to devote its Second National Conference to this subject. Because AIRS is organized under the form of a network of researchers, institutions, scholars, professionals, and teachers, its research activity has an impact at different levels and in different ways. Thus the topic of emergence was not only the focus of this conference but it is actually the main subject of many AIRS activities.
The goal of this book, is to recall to the systems community an important challenge to be dealt with in the immediate future: the study and characterization of general features of what is commonly qualified as `emergence', chiefly in complex systems such as biological and cognitive ones. Such a topic was a fundamental one at the very beginning of the systemic movement, and to it the founding fathers, such as Von Bertalanffy, Ashby and Von Foerster, devoted most efforts. In more recent times, however, the interests shifted towards an empirical study of systemic properties characterizing human organizations, and the subject of emergence was partly abandoned. Notwithstanding, the understanding of what is emergence, and of the circumstances which allow for its occurrence within a complex system, is of crucial importance for systemics. Namely all systemic properties - the ones which allow a system to behave as a whole and not as an aggregate of constituents - are just emergent properties.
The goal of this book, is to recall to the systems community an important challenge to be dealt with in the immediate future: the study and characterization of general features of what is commonly qualified as `emergence', chiefly in complex systems such as biological and cognitive ones. Such a topic was a fundamental one at the very beginning of the systemic movement, and to it the founding fathers, such as Von Bertalanffy, Ashby and Von Foerster, devoted most efforts. In more recent times, however, the interests shifted towards an empirical study of systemic properties characterizing human organizations, and the subject of emergence was partly abandoned. Notwithstanding, the understanding of what is emergence, and of the circumstances which allow for its occurrence within a complex system, is of crucial importance for systemics. Namely all systemic properties - the ones which allow a system to behave as a whole and not as an aggregate of constituents - are just emergent properties.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Synergetics - An Overview....Pages 3-14
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
A First Cellular Automata Model of Red Mullet Behaviour....Pages 17-30
Simulations of Forest Fires by Cellular Automata Modelling....Pages 31-40
The Dynamic Usage of Models (DYSAM)....Pages 41-52
Front Matter....Pages 53-53
The Emergence of Strategies in Cognitive Development....Pages 55-62
Emergence of the Symbolic Function....Pages 63-74
Synaptic Development as a Variational Problem....Pages 75-82
Front Matter....Pages 83-83
Emergence and Ergodicity: A Line of Research....Pages 85-102
Decomposition of Systems....Pages 103-116
Generic Properties of Complex Networks....Pages 117-125
The Role of Stability Theory in the Great Theories of the XX Century....Pages 127-140
A Generalization of Compensation Mechanism in Variable-Structure Systems....Pages 141-149
Front Matter....Pages 151-151
A Systemic Proposal on the Use of a New Technology as a Learning Tool in School Context....Pages 153-157
A System Approach to the Educational Research: Reflection on an Experience....Pages 159-176
Evaluating an Educational Course....Pages 177-189
Front Matter....Pages 191-191
Reactive Navigation based on Self-Organised Visual Information....Pages 193-204
Web Usability: Meaning and Context. Over Data Structures....Pages 205-212
Membrane Systems for Computing....Pages 213-231
Front Matter....Pages 233-233
Transforming Leadership Through Coalitions: Building the Ethics of Sustainable Development in Globalization....Pages 235-250
Meaning Extraction from the Analysis of Video-Registrations of Human Movements....Pages 251-268
Front Matter....Pages 233-233
Multidisciplinary Techniques for Classifying Styles in Descriptive Texts: a Preliminary Study....Pages 269-276
The Religious Aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the West Bank: Systemic Implications....Pages 277-284
Disciplinarity in the Pursuit of Knowledge....Pages 285-296
Front Matter....Pages 297-297
Distributed Knowledge Management....Pages 299-312
The Role of Knowledge Management as a Key Tool for Companies to deal with the Turbulent Environment: A Survey....Pages 313-320
Front Matter....Pages 321-321
Balancing and Compensating Equilibrium Deficits in Beings Provided with Cognitive Processing Capabilities....Pages 323-333
Emergence, Individuality, Therapy....Pages 335-345
Systemic Support Therapy for Cancer Patients During and After Chemotherapy....Pages 347-358
A Systemic Approach to the Modelling of Epileptic Phenomena....Pages 359-373
Front Matter....Pages 375-375
Some Comments about Determinism and Classical Physics....Pages 377-378
What is Emergence?....Pages 379-382
Quantum Field Theory and System Theory....Pages 383-389
Back Matter....Pages 391-394
The goal of this book, is to recall to the systems community an important challenge to be dealt with in the immediate future: the study and characterization of general features of what is commonly qualified as `emergence', chiefly in complex systems such as biological and cognitive ones. Such a topic was a fundamental one at the very beginning of the systemic movement, and to it the founding fathers, such as Von Bertalanffy, Ashby and Von Foerster, devoted most efforts. In more recent times, however, the interests shifted towards an empirical study of systemic properties characterizing human organizations, and the subject of emergence was partly abandoned. Notwithstanding, the understanding of what is emergence, and of the circumstances which allow for its occurrence within a complex system, is of crucial importance for systemics. Namely all systemic properties - the ones which allow a system to behave as a whole and not as an aggregate of constituents - are just emergent properties.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Front Matter....Pages 1-1
Synergetics - An Overview....Pages 3-14
Front Matter....Pages 15-15
A First Cellular Automata Model of Red Mullet Behaviour....Pages 17-30
Simulations of Forest Fires by Cellular Automata Modelling....Pages 31-40
The Dynamic Usage of Models (DYSAM)....Pages 41-52
Front Matter....Pages 53-53
The Emergence of Strategies in Cognitive Development....Pages 55-62
Emergence of the Symbolic Function....Pages 63-74
Synaptic Development as a Variational Problem....Pages 75-82
Front Matter....Pages 83-83
Emergence and Ergodicity: A Line of Research....Pages 85-102
Decomposition of Systems....Pages 103-116
Generic Properties of Complex Networks....Pages 117-125
The Role of Stability Theory in the Great Theories of the XX Century....Pages 127-140
A Generalization of Compensation Mechanism in Variable-Structure Systems....Pages 141-149
Front Matter....Pages 151-151
A Systemic Proposal on the Use of a New Technology as a Learning Tool in School Context....Pages 153-157
A System Approach to the Educational Research: Reflection on an Experience....Pages 159-176
Evaluating an Educational Course....Pages 177-189
Front Matter....Pages 191-191
Reactive Navigation based on Self-Organised Visual Information....Pages 193-204
Web Usability: Meaning and Context. Over Data Structures....Pages 205-212
Membrane Systems for Computing....Pages 213-231
Front Matter....Pages 233-233
Transforming Leadership Through Coalitions: Building the Ethics of Sustainable Development in Globalization....Pages 235-250
Meaning Extraction from the Analysis of Video-Registrations of Human Movements....Pages 251-268
Front Matter....Pages 233-233
Multidisciplinary Techniques for Classifying Styles in Descriptive Texts: a Preliminary Study....Pages 269-276
The Religious Aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the West Bank: Systemic Implications....Pages 277-284
Disciplinarity in the Pursuit of Knowledge....Pages 285-296
Front Matter....Pages 297-297
Distributed Knowledge Management....Pages 299-312
The Role of Knowledge Management as a Key Tool for Companies to deal with the Turbulent Environment: A Survey....Pages 313-320
Front Matter....Pages 321-321
Balancing and Compensating Equilibrium Deficits in Beings Provided with Cognitive Processing Capabilities....Pages 323-333
Emergence, Individuality, Therapy....Pages 335-345
Systemic Support Therapy for Cancer Patients During and After Chemotherapy....Pages 347-358
A Systemic Approach to the Modelling of Epileptic Phenomena....Pages 359-373
Front Matter....Pages 375-375
Some Comments about Determinism and Classical Physics....Pages 377-378
What is Emergence?....Pages 379-382
Quantum Field Theory and System Theory....Pages 383-389
Back Matter....Pages 391-394
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