GOAL: UNDERSTAND CAUSAL AND INFLUENCE NETWORKS IN COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEMS IN ORDER TO CONTROL THEM

TERMINOLOGY Complexity Theory Complexity Science Complexity Philosophy - Extremely powerful World View

APPROACH: Individuals from different disciplines share views on CAS – hopefully greater understanding of CAS will emerge

BACKGROUND: Reductionist approach to extreme leaves us with quarks and vibrating strings Complexity Theory explains how systems form and the Universe EMERGES AND EVOLVES

Key Concepts about CAS (books by Stuart Kauffman) 1. Entities interact to form systems 2. Systems increase in complexity as the number of interacting components increase 3. As the complexity and energy of a system increases, the system may pass a threshold whereby it displays entirely new behavior patterns that cannot be predicted from knowledge about its component parts (emergence) 4. The original system may no longer be viewed as a system but can be regarded as a new entity in its own right. 5. As a corollary, all single entities can be conceptualized as being a complex system composed of its component parts. 6. CAS display similarities with each other independent of the nature of their components.

7. Since the components of CAS are themselves complex systems and since CAS share similar characteristics, then similar patterns (fractals) can be observed amongst these systems acting on different scales of space and time (self-similarity) 8. The tendency for CAS to organize themselves reflects a central ‘law’ of the Universe.

BIOLOGY consists of Emergent Levels Concepts to Consider: 1. Successful Emergent Traits : Evolutionary Fitness (whatever sticks around) 2. Given self-similarity: – Does the organizational structure of the cell reflect the body, reflect the brain, reflect society? -Do biological systems compute at all level? - Does the Universe compute? - When would self-awareness arise

HOW DOES THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY DEAL WITH INTERVENTIONS IN MEDICINE (CAS) -through clinical trials (many of our explanations are found not to be accurate)