Is there a general principle of increasing complexity?

Scientists and philosophers have long argued that many natural systems, and perhaps even the universe as a whole, possess an inbuilt tendency for complexity to increase with time. This claim, however, rests uncomfortably with the second law of thermodynamics, with its emphasis on the rise of entropy. Attempts to reconcile the tension have led to interesting theoretical advances in the study of gravitational physics, self-organizing systems, computational models of complexity, and mathematical models of biological evolution. The purpose of this symposium was to explore these reconciliation attempts, both scientific and philosophical, and to address the questions of under what circumstances complexity will increase with time and whether it is possible to identify a general principle of increasing complexity. How best, moreover, should we quantify complexity to capture both systematic characteristics and to exhibit dynamic behavior generically? Those gathered to explore issues at the heart of complexity science met to push the boundaries of research in the Beyond Center. This meeting was sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation.

Participants

Paul Davies
Arizona State University

Eric J. Chaisson
Tufts University

Philip Clayton
Claremont Graduate University

Simon Conway Morris
Cambridge

Marcelo Gleiser
Dartmouth College

Stuart A. Kauffman
University of Vermont

David C. Krakauer
Santa Fe Institute

Lawrence Krauss
Arizona State University

Charles D. Lineweaver
Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics

Seth Lloyd
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Michael Ruse
Florida State University

David Eric Smith
Santa Fe Institute

William C. Wimsatt
University of Chicago

Stephen Wolfram
Worlfram Research, Inc.

David Wolpert
Ames Research Center