A curated list of resources related to complex systems, the
scientific field studying systems with multiple interacting parts and
emergent properties.
Contents
Concepts
- Attractor - A
trajectory in the state space of a system in which it tends to evolve
towards.
- Autopoiesis
- The ability of a system to create and maintain itself.
- Chaos -
Theory of chaotic systems.
- Complexity -
The subject of complex systems science.
- Developmental
Systems Theory - Theoretical perspective on biological development,
heredity, and evolution.
- Dissipative
System - A thermodynamically open system far from thermodynamic
equilibrium.
- Distributed
Control - A control system without a central supervisor.
- Edge of
Chaos - The transition zone between order and disorder.
- Emergence -
The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
- Fractal -
Self-similar structure.
- Hysteresis -
Dependence of the state of a system on its history.
- Holon
- System that is both a whole and a part.
- Network/Graph -
Network with non-trivial topological features.
- Phase
Transition - Transition between states of matter.
- Robustness -
Ability to tolerate perturbations.
- Self-Organization
- The process where form arises from local interactions between parts of
an initially disordered system.
- Simulation -
Imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system.
Scientific Journals
- Complexity -
Cross-disciplinary journal about complex adaptive systems (open
access).
Blogs/Journals
Societies/Communities
Organizations
Models
Software
Freely to use or open source
- NetLogo -
Multi-agent modeling environment based on the LOGO language. It comes
with a very large library of toy models.
- Simulus -
ABM library in Python.
- Swarm - A
platform for agent-based models written in Objective-C, models are coded
in Java or Objective-C.
- Repast - Agent-based
modeling and simulation platforms, models coded in C++ and Java.
- MASON -
Multiagent simulation library core in Java.
- HASH - Graph and agent simulation
platform.
- Hybrid Automata
Library - Java library for hybrid modeling combining agent-based and
partial-differential equation components.
Proprietary
Other Resources
Books
- Wiener, N.
(2016). Cybernetics or control and communication in the animal and the
machine. - The book introduced the term cybernetics to describe a
self-regulation mechanism.
- Scheffer, M.
(2009). Critical transitions in nature and society. Princeton, N.J:
Princeton University Press. - A nicely written and accessible
description of the critical transition and related concepts.
- Nicolis, G.,
Basios, V., & (Firm), W. S. (2015). Chaos, information processing
and paradoxical games: the legacy of John S. Nicolis. Singapore;
Hackensack, N.J.: World Scientific Pub. Co. - An edited volume of
studies honoring the legacy of John Nicolis contribution to complex
systems.
- Newman, M. E. J.
(2010). Networks: an introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University
Press. - A comprehensive introduction to network science.
- Mitchell, S. D.
(2013). Unsimple truths: science, complexity, and policy. Chicago: Univ.
of Chicago Press. - The book introduces the perspective of
integrative puralism as a way of understanding and studying the
world.
- Maturana, H. R.,
& Varela, F. J. (2008). The tree of knowledge: the biological roots
of human understanding. Boston: Shambhala. - The book is an
exposition of the non-representational vew of knowledge.
- Mandelbrot, B.
(2006). The fractal geometry of nature. New York: W.H. Freeman and
Company. - Beautiful introduction to the world of fractals.
- Kauffman, S.
(2014). At Home in the Universe The Search for the Laws of
Self-Organization and Complexity. Cary: Oxford University Press,
USA. - The book introduces in an accessible way the influence of
concepts such as self-organization and the edge of chaos.
- Gros, C. (2015).
Complex and adaptive dynamical systems: a primer. Cham: Springer. -
Technical and accessible introduction to a number of important concepts
in complex systems science.
- Downey, A.
(2012). Think complexity. Needham, Massachusetts: Green Tea Press. -
A hands-on approach exploring complex systems models with Python.
- Boccara, N.
(2014). Modeling complex systems. Springer-Verlag New York. - An
overview of important mathematical models of complex systems.
- Barrat, A.,
Barthelemy, M., & Vespignani, A. (2013). Dynamical processes on
complex networks. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press - Dynamic
models on complex networks.
complexity.md
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