Synthesized answer
Lawhead's "dynamical complexity" aims to bridge the gap between mathematical complexity theory and physical and social systems by offering a "physical interpretation" of mathematical advancements in information theory, specifically the formalism of "effective complexity" [1, 3, 4]. Existing definitions of complexity are deemed not "entirely satisfactory" for these real-world systems, as they often focus on formation-theoretic objects like signals rather than the systems themselves [3, 5]. Dynamical complexity is proposed as a concept that captures aspects most relevant to scientists studying active, dynamical complex systems in the natural world [2].
The "physical interpretation" of dynamical complexity is crucial because it accounts for the pattern-richness of a system's location in its configuration space and considers how many "predictively useful ways" the system can be described [2]. This approach acknowledges that scientific discoveries can alter the understanding of complexity, emphasizing that science is a difficult and messy project [4]. Dynamical complexity provides a way to connect the abstraction found in mathematical frameworks to the actual practice of scientists by…
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From the book
up that project, and present a novel account of what it means for a physical system to be complex in the relevant sense. This concept, which I will call dynamical complexity , is presented as a physical interpretation of some very recent mathematical advancements in the field of information theory. The central problem that shall occupy us in the next chapter, then, is how to transform a discussion of complexity that seems to work very well for things like messages into an account that works well for things like climate systems. My hope is that dynamical complexity offers this bridge. Once…
and that moreover, the nature of complexity is such that it is likely that no single unifying definition is forthcoming. Rather, we should aim at a constellation of related notions of complexity, each of which is tailored to the different purposes toward which complexity theory might be used. I proposed the concept of dynamical complexity as best capturing the aspects of the varied proxy concepts we considered that are most relevant to scientists seeking to understand active, dynamical complex systems in the natural world (as opposed to, say, those interested in studying aspects of abstract…
formation-theoretic objects (signals, for instance) rather than the physical and social systems studied by scientists. Dynamical complexity, a concept articulated in detail in the first third of the dissertation, is designed to bridge the gap between the mathematics of contemporary complexity theory (in particular the formalism of “effective complexity” developed by Gell-Mann and Lloyd [2003]) and a more general account of the structure of science generally. Dynamical complexity provides a physical interpretation of the formal tools of mathematical complexity theory, and thus can be used as…
or effective complexity, we can perfectly coherently talk about summing all the useful ways given our goals and values . The value of this sum will change as we make new scientific discoveries—as we discover new patterns in the world that are worth paying attention to—but this again just serves to emphasize the point from Chapter One : the world is messy, and science is hard. Complexity theory is part of the scientific project, and so inherits all the difficulties and messiness from the rest of the project. Dynamical complexity, in other words, offers a natural physical interpretation for the…
verall. Chapters Two and Three taken together are primarily a contribution to the foundations of complex-systems theory. Building on the account of science from Chapter One , I argue that the traditional bifurcation of science into physical and social sciences is, at least sometimes, misleading. I suggest that we should also see some scientific problems in terms of a distinction that cuts across the physical/social science division: the distinction between complex-systems sciences and simple-systems sciences. After reviewing some of the attempts to define "complexity" in the (relatively…
More questions about this book
- Lawhead calls climatology a "paradigmatic complex systems science." Beyond simply stating its multidisciplinary nature, what specific attributes of climatology, as described, make it an *ideal* case study for understanding the "dynamical features" and the "interaction of many different components operating at many different temporal and spatial scales" characteristic of complex systems in general?
- Given that "How do we know that we can trust science?" is a "paradigmatic foundational question" for complex systems, how might Lawhead's concept of 'Dynamical complexity' offer a novel approach or framework for understanding and addressing the basis of scientific trust, especially in light of how these systems change over time?
- Dynamical complexity is presented as a framework for thinking about "theories, explanation, and lawhood." Choose *one* of these concepts (theories, explanation, or lawhood) and elaborate on how Lawhead's "physical interpretation of the formal tools of mathematical complexity theory" could specifically deepen or reshape philosophical understanding of it.
- The excerpt notes that climate model families are "significantly more diverse" than in most other sciences. How does this diversity, coupled with the difficulties in answering the foundational question "what makes a system complex?", directly influence the "methodological questions" of how climate science constructs, trusts, and improves its models?