This book offers a unique perspective on the evolution of scientific theories through the lens of their changing complexity.

To explore this non-trivial connection, the author draws on well-known historical cases from the philosophy of science tradition to test the central theses of the work. At the same time, the book develops a conceptual framework in which the debates on emergence and complexity play a central role.

The opening chapter provides the historical background of emergence, examining both classical and contemporary perspectives, highlighting diverse viewpoints and their contributions to the current discussion.

The second chapter turns to the foundations of complexity science, detailing its key methodologies and emphasizing the role of information in describing and modeling systems.

Building on this foundation, the book introduces a novel quantitative definition of emergent properties, grounded in the concept of parametric model complexity. It discusses how slight variations in control parameters can generate universal features and explores the implications of these dynamics for our understanding of systemic behavior.

Finally, the author shows how this framework illuminates critical aspects of scientific practice, ranging from the criteria guiding theory choice to the relationship between technological innovation and the risk of the appearance of anomalies. By combining historical analysis, conceptual innovation, and formal modeling, the book presents a compelling vision of how complexity and emergence can be predictive indicators of theoretical transformation, recognizing the moments when our current models have reached their limits.

Offers a unified view of emergence and complexity Looks at theory-change as the evolution of the complexity of theories Offers historical background on emergence

Autorentext

Miguel Angel Fuentes seeks to understand the behavior of complex systems from a conceptual/fundamental point of view, focusing on anomalies that often are important ingredients for the appearance of new features. As an interdisciplinary researcher and strategic research manager at Santa Fe Institute, he is developing a research program that focuses on interdisciplinary research applied to public policy, emerging phenomena, stochastic and nonlinear dynamics applied to the appearance of innovations in diversified (social/biological) environments. Fuentes holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science and a PhD in Physics from Instituto Balseiro — one of the most prestigious research centers in Latin America. He has also worked and studied at places like the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, the Institut Non Linéaire de Nice and the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Klappentext

This book offers a unified view of emergence and complexity. It also looks at theory-change as the evolution of the complexity of theories. The author makes use of concrete historical cases analyzed in the tradition of the philosophy of science to test the theses of this work.

The first chapter deals with the historical background on emergence. It discusses several contemporary works on the subject, their different points of view, and their contributions to the present investigation. Next, the author details what is now known as complexity science. He covers methodologies of this branch of knowledge, taking into account the amount of information used to describe the system under study.

After this foundation, coverage offers a novel quantitative definition of an emergent property. This is based on another notion introduced in this work: the parametric-model complexity. The author discusses several concepts that involve the importance of small variations of parameters that regulate the system and the universal characteristics that these small variations generate. He then studies how this new notion can shed light on some aspects of scientific practice as the criteria for the choice between rival theories and the relationship between the emergence of new technologies and the risk in the appearance of anomalies.

Inhalt

Introduction.- 1 The Concept of Emergence.- 2 Complexity Measures.- 3 Complexity and Emergence.- 4 Parametric Complexity and the Evolution of Scientific Theories.- 5 Conclusions.