Complex Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and Local Activity Principle

Abstract

According to several prominent authors, including Stephen Hawking, a main part of 21st century science will be on complexity research. The intuitive idea is that global patterns and structures emerge from locally interacting elements like atoms in laser beams, molecules in chemical reactions, proteins in cells, cells in organs, neurons in brains, agents in markets etc. (Mainzer 2007). Complexity phenomena have been reported from many disciplines (e. g. biology, chemistry, ecology, physics, sociology, economy etc.) and analyzed from various perspectives such as Schrödinger’s (1948) order from disorder, Prigogine’s (1980) dissipative structure, Haken’s (1983) synergetics, Langton’s (1990) edge of chaos etc.