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Foundations of Complex-system Theories: In Economics, Evolutionary Biology, and Statistical Physics
Complex behavior 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 behavior 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, emergent properties, 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 behavior. It will also be of great interest to specialists studying complexity in the physical, biological, and social sciences.
420 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 1998
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September 27, 2019
Advanced reading materials for complex system theory, it is recommended to first read other introductory books, such as "the beauty of the system", "complexity", "the philosophy of the system", etc. (ranking according to the difficulty).
The core content of the book is to explain the formation, nature, and changes of the complex system. Although it seems to be able to summarize in one sentence, the general concept introduced by the author is especially large. To make matters worse, the authors cite the quotation and further explain through the three aspects of physics, biological evolution and economics, thus introducing more details.
Fortunately, I have already had a deeper reading and understanding of the content of biological evolution. My doctoral subject is also about theoretical physics and computational chemistry. For economics, I am slightly involved in preparing for in-depth reading research, so I can follow The author's idea is to combine the knowledge of these three aspects through a unified theoretical framework, and then further understand the theme concept.
The first half of the book focuses on the study of the relationship between micro-individuals, meso-collectives, and macro-systems within the framework of comprehensive micro-analysis, and then introduces time dimensions to explore the role of randomness, statistics, causality, and time in the process of systemic change.
Overall, the content is very well written, especially considering that the book was published in the 1990s, reading is also very rewarding. To say the lack of content, mainly in two points: First, the philosophical discussion is not very good, especially after the dynamics; second, after more than 20 years of development, some concepts are outdated, it is best to combine the latest Information to understand.
However, this book can be used as a classic reading of systematic studies.
The core content of the book is to explain the formation, nature, and changes of the complex system. Although it seems to be able to summarize in one sentence, the general concept introduced by the author is especially large. To make matters worse, the authors cite the quotation and further explain through the three aspects of physics, biological evolution and economics, thus introducing more details.
Fortunately, I have already had a deeper reading and understanding of the content of biological evolution. My doctoral subject is also about theoretical physics and computational chemistry. For economics, I am slightly involved in preparing for in-depth reading research, so I can follow The author's idea is to combine the knowledge of these three aspects through a unified theoretical framework, and then further understand the theme concept.
The first half of the book focuses on the study of the relationship between micro-individuals, meso-collectives, and macro-systems within the framework of comprehensive micro-analysis, and then introduces time dimensions to explore the role of randomness, statistics, causality, and time in the process of systemic change.
Overall, the content is very well written, especially considering that the book was published in the 1990s, reading is also very rewarding. To say the lack of content, mainly in two points: First, the philosophical discussion is not very good, especially after the dynamics; second, after more than 20 years of development, some concepts are outdated, it is best to combine the latest Information to understand.
However, this book can be used as a classic reading of systematic studies.
April 29, 2016
Sunny deserves even more credit for bashing Richard Dawkins like a real pro.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews