Self-Organization, Emergence, and Constraint in Complex Natural Systems

TL;DR

This paper advances the understanding of emergence and self-organization in complex systems by developing a constraint-based framework aligned with complexity theory, clarifying distinctions between order and organization.

Contribution

It extends the constraint-based interpretation of emergence and self-organization, providing a clearer conceptual framework aligned with dynamical systems theory.

Findings

Constraint-based emergence aligns with traditional accounts.

Defines self-organization within the complexity framework.

Distinguishes between order and organization.

Abstract

Contemporary complexity theory has been instrumental in providing novel rigorous definitions for some classic philosophical concepts, including emergence. In an attempt to provide an account of emergence that is consistent with complexity and dynamical systems theory, several authors have turned to the notion of constraints on state transitions. Drawing on complexity theory directly, this paper builds on those accounts, further developing the constraint-based interpretation of emergence and arguing that such accounts recover many of the features of more traditional accounts. We show that the constraint-based account of emergence also leads naturally into a meaningful definition of self-organization, another concept that has received increasing attention recently. Along the way, we distinguish between order and organization, two concepts which are frequently conflated. Finally, we consider possibilities for future research in the philosophy of complex systems, as well as applications of the distinctions made in this paper.