complexity intro
change & stability
prog. complexity
more complexity
homo nobilis
references
discovery story
implications
invitation
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References - Progressive Complexity
Not that there are any references as such. The law of Progressive Complexity is a new discovery, and so is its profound unification of all the fundamental - and well established - laws of our universe. Currently science is struggling mightily with Complexity, never mind Progressive Complexity. All that exists so far are powerful and often leading edge works which indicate and point to Progressive Complexity - but then stop short. |
Indeed, if someone knows about new developments in this direction, please let me know. Meanwhile, here are a few books which bring us to the threshold of Progressive Complexity. Since the law of Progressive Complexity remains - inexplicably, and despite the overwhelming evidence of the universe itself, of matter and of Life - to be recognized by science, most of the following references represent often tantalizingly close insights of leading edge scientists into the true nature of our universe.
"General Systems Theory"; by Ludwig von Bertalanffy, George Braziller, 1984. The brilliant 'father' of "General Systems Theory" which is based upon his deep conviction that "All physical, chemical, biological and psychological systems are governed by the same fundamental principles". Profoundly prophetic, and way ahead of his time, von Bertalanffy unfortunately did not live to discover these few, fundamental principles. These pages are dedicated to his outstanding genius and powerfully prescient insights.
"Order Out of Chaos"; by Ilya Prigogine and Isabella Stengers, Bantam Books, 1984. 1977 Nobel Laureate Prigogine's famous "Man's New Dialogue with Nature" - his profound reconceptualisation and unification of the physical and biological sciences into an indivisible coherent whole. Although Ilya Prigogine has here laid many of the scientific foundations of the new "Systems Theory" of modern science - among them "Order in Chaos"; "Self organisation"; "Threshold Dynamics", "Irreversible Systems"; "Equilibrium and Disequilibrium Dynamics" - his powerfully profound insights were so far outside of the bounds of recent science that he was considered a 'fringe' scientist by mainstream academia. Yet, and although his pioneering landmark insights have become cornerstones across the breadth of modern science, it is an image he has not been able to shake.
Yet, in many ways, and only in retrospect, it is a frustrating book to read, for his insights into the dynamics of "disequilibrium" and "equilibrium" are so tantalizingly close to the fundamental universal law of "Change & Stability" that one wants to shout at him.
"Exploring Complexity"; Gregoire Nicolis and Ilya Prigogine, Freeman and Company, 1989. Another major landmark work by Nicolis and Prigogine. Until then, and while completely ignoring the progressive complexity of the universe, as well as of the elements - also a universal fact - "self-organizing" and progressively complex systems were dismissed by science as "astronomically unlikely accidents in a chaotic universe", and contrary to the laws of Decay and entropy, and therefore unworthy of consideration by any scientist. Go figure. Here, and singlehandledly, Nicolis and Prigogine finally hauled "Complexity" out of academia's looney bin and made it a respectable scientific subject across the fields of physics, chemistry, biology and social systems.
"The Cosmic Blueprint"; Paul Davies, Simon and Schuster, 1988. World renowned Professor of Theoretical Physics Paul Davies begins with "So there is something like a law of increasing complexity", and then explores recent new insights in fields ranging from quantum mechanics to astrophysics, biology, evolution and brain research to arrive at the recognition that matter and energy have the ability to self-organise into systems of progressively higher levels of complexity according to common and fundamental universal principles. Far from being at the mercy of random forces, Davies leads us to the recognition that all matter and energy is informed by a universal blueprint. A highly readable work on the perceptions of one of the world's leading scientists.
"The Undivided Universe"; David Bohm and B. J. Haley, Routledge, 1993. The late (1992) David Bohm was much honoured Professor Emeritus in Theoretical Physics at Birkbeck College, University of London until 1983. He is the author of a causative quantum theory which, thankfully, eliminates the paradox of the wave-particle duality, as well as the requirement of human 'observation' - along with the silly notion of 'retroactive human observation', as in light arriving here which had originated in far distant stars and galaxies billions of years ago - in order to collapse a wave function into physical reality. His causative quantum theory goes much further than Bohr's, and includes non-locality inherent in a dimension of "implicit" and "explicit" information (correct - see the independent discovery of the Information Dimension in
MORE), but lost out, due to nothing more than common sentiment, to Bohr's incomplete and paradoxial quantum theory. A demanding formal work consisting almost entirely of equations with brief explanations.
"Chaos", James Gleick, Penguin Books, 1987. A vivid, detailed, very engaging and thoroughly enjoyable description of the recent birth of a new science - the science of Chaos and its role in all of Nature. After reading this book, you will know and understand why Chaos lurks everywhere, as well as the popular saying that 'the beating of a butterfly's wing in Bombay can cause thunderstorm in Kentucky." With Chaos theory we now have the explanations every child has wondered about; why no cloud ever looks like any other, why smoke never repeats its swirling patterns, and why eddies in the water never repeat the same pattern. What is currently not fully understood is that there is a profound order in Chaos, and that the individual uniqueness which Chaos bestows upon all things is the wellspring of all creation. Highly recommended to anyone who wonders about these things.
RETURN TO - the law of Progressive Complexity
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