Bigger Than Chaos

Understanding Complexity through Probability

Michael Strevens

412 pages, parution le 30/09/2006

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Résumé

Many complex systems--from immensely complicated ecosystems to minute assemblages of molecules--surprise us with their simple behavior. Consider, for instance, the snowflake, in which a great number of water molecules arrange themselves in patterns with six-way symmetry. How is it that molecules moving seemingly at random become organized according to the simple, six-fold rule? How do the comings, goings, meetings, and eatings of individual animals add up to the simple dynamics of ecosystem populations? More generally, how does complex and seemingly capricious microbehavior generate stable, predictable macrobehavior?

In this book, Michael Strevens aims to explain how simplicity can coexist with, indeed be caused by, the tangled interconnections between a complex system's many parts. At the center of Strevens's explanation is the notion of probability and, more particularly, probabilistic independence. By examining the foundations of statistical reasoning about complex systems such as gases, ecosystems, and certain social systems, Strevens provides an understanding of how simplicity emerges from complexity. Along the way, he draws lessons concerning the low-level explanation of high-level phenomena and the basis for introducing probabilistic concepts into physical theory.

Sommaire

Note to the Reader
The Simple Behavior of Complex Systems
The Physics of Complex Probability
The Independence of Complex Probabilities
The Simple Behavior of Complex Systems Explained
Implications for the Philosophy of the Higher-Level Sciences
Notes
Glossary
References
Index

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Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Harvard University Press
Auteur(s)	Michael Strevens
Parution	30/09/2006
Nb. de pages	412
Format	14,5 x 22,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	558g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780674022591
ISBN13	978-0-674-02259-1