Abstract

Complex Systems Science aims to understand concepts like complexity, self-organization, emergence and adaptation, among others. The inherent fuzziness in complex systems definitions is complicated by the unclear relation among these central processes: does self-organisation emerge or does it set the preconditions for emergence? Does complexity arise by adaptation or is complexity necessary for adaptation to arise? The inevitable consequence of the current impasse is miscommunication among scientists within and across disciplines. We propose a set of concepts, together with their information-theoretic interpretations, which can be used as a dictionary of Complex Systems Science discourse. Our hope is that the suggested information-theoretic baseline may facilitate consistent communications among practitioners, and provide new insights into the field.

Citations