COMPLEXITY THRESHOLD
Charles François (2004). COMPLEXITY THRESHOLD, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 562.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 562 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Methodology or model |
According to J.von NEUMANN, there is a specific level of complexity (“complication”, in von NEUMANN's terminology — unfortunately) below which the system spontaneously degenerates into a simpler one and above which it tends to evolve toward a higher degree of complexity.
Such a threshold seems to be related to increasing energy flows and thus to PRIGOGINE's thermodynamics of irreversible systems, either those dynamically stable, or those affected by dissipative structuration through giant fluctuations. Implications for the present transformations of human societies are considerable, as noted by R.N. ADAMS (1988).