Complex behaviour can occur in any system made up of large numbers of interacting constituents, be they atoms in a solid, cells in a living organism, or consumers in a national economy. Analysis of this behaviour often involves making important assumptions and approximations, the exact nature of which vary from subject to subject. Foundations of Complex-system Theories begins with a description of the general features of complexity and then examines a range of important concepts, such as theories of composite systems, collective phenomena, and stochastic processes. Each topic is discussed with reference to the fields of statistical physics, evolutionary biology, and economics, thereby highlighting recurrent themes in the study of complex systems. This detailed yet nontechnical book will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about complex systems and their behaviour. It will also be of great interest to specialists studying complexity in the physical, biological, and social sciences.

Preface

ix

1. Introduction

1

(36)

1. Synthetic Microanalysis of Complex Composite Systems

1

(7)

2. Topics, Theories, Categories

8

(13)

3. Economics, Evolutionary Biology, Statistical Physics

21

(16)

PART I. EQUILIBRIUM

37

(174)

2. Theories of Composite Systems

39

(45)

4. Organizational and Descriptive Levels of the World

39

(7)

5. Deductive Construction of Small Systems

46

(8)

6. Synthetic Microanalysis of Many-body Systems

54

(13)

7. Idealizations, Approximations, Models

67

(5)

8. Federal Versus Imperial Unity of Science

72

(5)

9. Equilibrium and Optimization

77

(7)

3. Individuals: Constituents and Systems

84

(31)

10. An Individual and Its Possibilities: The State Space

84

(8)

11. The Integrity of the Topic of Statistical Mechanics

92

(7)

12. The Unit of Evolution and the Unit of Selection

99

(10)

13. Economic Individuals as Ideal Optimizers

109

(6)

4. Situated Individuals and the Situation

115

(36)

14. Independent-individual Approximations

115

(6)

15. Single Particles in the Self-consistent Field

121

(11)

16. Price Takers in the Perfectly Competitive Market

132

(8)

17. Fitness, Adaptedness, and the Environment

140

(11)

5. Interacting Individuals and Collective Phenomena

151

(22)

18. An Intermediate Layer of Structure and Individuals

151

(4)

19. Collective Excitations and Their Coupling

155

(5)

20. Strategic Competition and Industrial Organization

160

(7)

21. Population Structure and the Evolution of Altruism

167

(6)

6. Composite Individuals and Emergent Characters

173

(38)

22. Emergent Characters of the System as a Whole

173

(10)

23. Self-organization in Phase Transitions

183

(10)

24. Adaptive Organization of Biological Systems

193

(10)

25. Inflation, Unemployment, and Their Microexplanations

203

(8)

PART II. DYNAMICS

211

(136)

7. The Temporality of Dynamic Systems

213

(15)

26. Temporality and Possibility

213

(2)

27. Processes and Time

215

(8)

28. Past, Present, Future

223

(5)

8. Complexity in the Temporal Dimension

228

(41)

29. Deterministic Dynamics: State-space Portraits

228

(9)

30. Stability, Instability, Bifurcation

237

(5)

31. Chaos and Predictability

242

(6)

32. Uniting Deterministic and Stochastic Concepts

248

(7)

33. The Foundation of Statistical Mechanics

255

(4)

34. Causality but Not Determinism

259

(10)

9. Stochastic Processes and Their Explanations

269

(44)

35. The Calculus of Probability and Stochastic Processes

269

(8)

36. Deterministic and Stochastic Models of Business Cycles

277

(8)

37. The Survival of the Fittest or the Luckiest?

285

(6)

38. Causality and Randomness in Statistical Mechanics

291

(8)

39. Probability but Not Tychism

299

(14)

10. Directionality, History, Expectation

313

(28)

40. Causality and Temporal Asymmetry

313

(10)

41. Narratives and Theories in Natural History

323

(11)

42. Dynamic Optimization, Expectation, Uncertainty

334

(7)

11. Epilogue

341

(6)

43. A Look Backward and Forward

341

(6)

Notes

347

(32)

Bibliography

379

(12)

Name Index

391

(4)

Subject Index

395

What is included with this book?

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.