Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-2jptb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-02-15T11:51:21.547Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

How Complex are Complex Systems?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

Herbert A. Simon
Herbert A. Simon*
Affiliation:
Carnegie-Mellon University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

As it has turned out—and not, I think, by conscious design—this symposium has a truly Hegelian structure. The thesis and antithesis are provided by the themes of complexity and simplicity, respectively. Professor Nelson pleads the case for complexity, and I for simplicity; and we both count on Professor Suppes to propose the synthesis.

Methods of characterizing the simplicity or complexity of systems are many. Let me mention some of them:

  • (1) Systems that have many components may be considered complex relative to systems that have few. Hence the cardinality of a set may be taken as one measure of its complexity.

  • (2) Systems in which there is much interdependence among the components are generally regarded as more complex than systems with less interdependence among components.

  • (3) Systems that are undecidable may be regarded as complex in comparison with those that are decidable.

Type
Part IX. Complex Fuzzy Systems
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1976 , Issue 2: Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers 1976 , 1976 , pp. 507 - 522
Copyright
Copyright © 1977 by the Philosophy of Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1] May, Rober M. “Will a Large Complex System be Stable?” Nature 238(1972): 413–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2] Nelson, R.J. “Structure of Complex Systems.” In PSA 1976, Volume Two. Edited by Suppe, F. and Asquith, P.D.. East Lansing: Philosophy of Science Association, 1977. Pages 523–542.Google Scholar
[3] Ramsey, Dian M. (ed.). Information and Control Processes in Living Systems. New York: New York Academy of Sciences, 1967.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
[4] Simon, H.A. The Sciences of the Artificial. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.Google Scholar
[5] Simon, H.A. and Ando, A. “Aggregation of Variables in Dynamic Systems.” Econometrica 29(1961): 111–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[6] Suppes, P. “Some Remarks About Complexity.” In PSA 1976, Volume Two. Edited by Suppe, F. and Asquith, P.D.. East Lansing: Philosophy of Science Association, 1977. Pages 543–547.Google Scholar