Frontiers in Complex Systems

Miguel, M. San

doi:10.3389/fcpxs.2022.1080801

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The brain s structure and function are essential for modeling or influencing the complex social behavior of mammals. In particular, complex systems theory can be applied to study the emergence of social norms, which are unwritten rules of behavior that are enforced through social pressure rather than legal sanctions [227][228][229][230]. Social norms can arise through complex interactions between individuals, as people observe and mimic the behavior of others, and can be reinforced or weakened through feedback loops [231].…”

Section: Evolutionary Moralmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiscale Principle in Nature (Principium luxuriæ): Linking Multiscale Thermodynamics to Living and Non-Living Complex Systems

Venegas-Aravena,

Cordaro

2024

Fractal Fract

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Why do fractals appear in so many domains of science? What is the physical principle that generates them? While it is true that fractals naturally appear in many physical systems, it has so far been impossible to derive them from first physical principles. However, a proposed interpretation could shed light on the inherent principle behind the creation of fractals. This is the multiscale thermodynamic perspective, which states that an increase in external energy could initiate energy transport mechanisms that facilitate the dissipation or release of excess energy at different scales. Within this framework, it is revealed that power law patterns, and to a lesser extent, fractals, can emerge as a geometric manifestation to dissipate energy in response to external forces. In this context, the exponent of these power law patterns (thermodynamic fractal dimension D) serves as an indicator of the balance between entropy production at small and large scales. Thus, when a system is more efficient at releasing excess energy at the microscopic (macroscopic) level, D tends to increase (decrease). While this principle, known as Principium luxuriæ, may sound promising for describing both multiscale and complex systems, there is still uncertainty about its true applicability. Thus, this work explores different physical, astrophysical, sociological, and biological systems to attempt to describe and interpret them through the lens of the Principium luxuriæ. The analyzed physical systems correspond to emergent behaviors, chaos theory, and turbulence. To a lesser extent, the cosmic evolution of the universe and geomorphology are examined. Biological systems such as the geometry of human organs, aging, human brain development and cognition, moral evolution, Natural Selection, and biological death are also analyzed. It is found that these systems can be reinterpreted and described through the thermodynamic fractal dimension. Therefore, it is proposed that the physical principle that could be behind the creation of fractals is the Principium luxuriæ, which can be defined as “Systems that interact with each other can trigger responses at multiple scales as a manner to dissipate the excess energy that comes from this interaction”. That is why this framework has the potential to uncover new discoveries in various fields. For example, it is suggested that the reduction in D in the universe could generate emergent behavior and the proliferation of complexity in numerous fields or the reinterpretation of Natural Selection.

show abstract

Section: Evolutionary Moralmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Multiscale Principle in Nature (Principium luxuriæ): Linking Multiscale Thermodynamics to Living and Non-Living Complex Systems

Venegas-Aravena,

Cordaro

2024

Fractal Fract

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It requires moving from a current paradigm which tends to simplify, towards a paradigm that considers complexity. This is identified as a priority for research to inform rewilding, restoration, and sustainability science (Biggs et al, 2017;Butler et al, 2021;Jones and Jones, 2023;San Miguel, 2023). Iterative, agile project management and ToC frameworks seek to address these issues in many different disciplines (Fernandez and Fernandez, 2008;Allen et al, 2017) and may help rewilding projects to integrate complex systems thinking, long-term transformative change, transdisciplinarity, and collaboration.…”

Section: Use Systems Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing guidelines and a theory of change framework to inform rewilding application

Hawkins,

Convery,

Carver

2024

Front. Conserv. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionThere remain a number of debates and conflicts about the concept of rewilding which can be barriers to its application. Some of these conflicts stem from the variety of contextual interpretations of rewilding, leading to conflict between rewilding theories and approaches. Conclusions have also been drawn about rewilding based on limited case studies, so that emergent rewilding theories aren’t applicable to all rewilding projects, limiting their support in the field. Past theories have distinguished different types of rewilding, encouraging debate over the proposed methods, although in practice these approaches often share similar goals and use similar interventions. One barrier to achieving consensus in the practice of rewilding is that there are no clear guidelines for rewilding, and there are limited broad-scale studies focusing on how rewilding is practiced. This paper addresses this by offering the first broad study of rewilding guidelines and interventions.MethodsA grounded theory study was undertaken, using data sourced from rewilding organisations, case studies, and research. Expressions were coded in the data relating to intentions for how rewilding should be practiced and the interventions used.ResultsDrawing from these data, the paper offers three tools to guide rewilding practitioners: (1) an overview of guidelines for rewilding practice, (2) a list of interventions used in rewilding, considering them against rewilding goals, (3) a theory of change framework to guide rewilding application.DiscussionThe tools presented here will inform work towards IUCN rewilding guidelines. Several areas that require further consideration are highlighted. We hope that this initial study of application can improve agreement and collaboration among the rewilding community.

show abstract

“…Despite numerous approaches to understanding the changes and stability of complex living systems, a comprehensive understanding at both macroscopic and microscopic levels remains elusive [61,62]. This gap indicates a potential shortfall in phenomenological approaches similar to those employed in thermodynamics.…”

Section: Using Experimental Ecosystems As a Phenomenological Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodiversity and Constrained Information Dynamics in Ecosystems: A Framework for Living Systems

Hosoda,

Seno,

Kamiura

et al. 2023

Entropy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The increase in ecosystem biodiversity can be perceived as one of the universal processes converting energy into information across a wide range of living systems. This study delves into the dynamics of living systems, highlighting the distinction between ex post adaptation, typically associated with natural selection, and its proactive counterpart, ex ante adaptability. Through coalescence experiments using synthetic ecosystems, we (i) quantified ecosystem stability, (ii) identified correlations between some biodiversity indexes and the stability, (iii) proposed a mechanism for increasing biodiversity through moderate inter-ecosystem interactions, and (iv) inferred that the information carrier of ecosystems is species composition, or merged genomic information. Additionally, it was suggested that (v) changes in ecosystems are constrained to a low-dimensional state space, with three distinct alteration trajectories—fluctuations, rapid environmental responses, and long-term changes—converging into this state space in common. These findings suggest that daily fluctuations may predict broader ecosystem changes. Our experimental insights, coupled with an exploration of living systems’ information dynamics from an ecosystem perspective, enhance our predictive capabilities for natural ecosystem behavior, providing a universal framework for understanding a broad spectrum of living systems.

show abstract

Frontiers in Complex Systems

Cited by 15 publications

References 12 publications

The Multiscale Principle in Nature (Principium luxuriæ): Linking Multiscale Thermodynamics to Living and Non-Living Complex Systems

The Multiscale Principle in Nature (Principium luxuriæ): Linking Multiscale Thermodynamics to Living and Non-Living Complex Systems

Developing guidelines and a theory of change framework to inform rewilding application

Biodiversity and Constrained Information Dynamics in Ecosystems: A Framework for Living Systems

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About