The EmergeNET: Towards a Unifying Investigation in Emergence, Emergent Phenomena and Complexity

复杂性和涌现性的定义本身就是一个重要的问题。复杂性是指许多简单的相互作用的部分产生意想不到的集体行为的情况。这需要另一个不精确的概念，即涌现。复杂系统可以在宏观水平上显示出在微观水平上没有发现的特性。涌现的一个重要例子是自组织。自组织作为复杂适应系统的一部分而发生，例如薄层中的油分子，自组织形成统计稳定状态的模式。自我组织的基本机制来自反馈。每一部分都可以与它的邻居交流，并安排成一个共同的集体行为。有时，不管相互作用的精确动力学，系统的演化都由某种统计稳定状态表示。这意味着该稳态是系统动态相空间中的“吸引子”，并考虑了复杂系统对外部扰动的鲁棒性。一个复杂物理系统的性质是突现的，只是在它们既不是（i）系统的任何部分孤立地具有的性质，也不是（ii）系统的各部分性质的简单总和的结果的情况下。上述涌现的定义显示了这一过程如何适用于所有长度尺度和复杂性尺度的许多系统。然而，当一个人从物理系统转移到社会、医疗甚至人工系统时，发现和处理这个概念的能力变得更加重要。此外，发现在非常不同的情况下出现的紧急实体的能力似乎对这个概念的成长和发展至关重要。一个实质性的跨学科涌现理论将大大有助于复杂性科学更广泛的应用和理解的发展。EPSRC的IDEAS紧急工厂解决了所有这些问题，导致了一些资助项目。为了保持参与项目的人员之间的良好沟通，进一步解决沙坑的结果，并鼓励围绕复杂性和紧急情况的跨学科沟通，需要一个涵盖跨学科紧急情况的网络。

The very definition of complexity and emergence is itself a non-trivial problem. Complexity refers to situations where many simple interacting parts produce an unexpected collective behaviour. This calls for another imprecise concept that is emergence. Complex systems can display the emergence of properties at the macroscopic level that are not found at the microscopic level. One important example of emergence is self-organization. Self-organisation occurs as parts of a complex adaptive system, such as oil molecules in a thin layer, self-organise to form patterns in a state that is statistically stable. The basic mechanism for self organisation comes from feedback. Each part can communicate with its neighbours and arrange into a common collective behaviour. Sometimes, regardless the precise dynamics of the interactions, the evolution of the system is represented by some statistically stable state. This means that this steady state is an 'attractor' in the phase space for the system dynamics and accounts for the robustness of complex systems with respect to external perturbation. The Properties of a complex physical system are emergent just in case they are neither (i) properties had by any parts of the system taken in isolation nor (ii) resultant of a mere summation of properties of parts of the system. The above definition of emergence shows how this process may apply to many systems across all length scales and complexity scales. However, when one moves from physical to social, medical, or even artificial systems, the ability to spot and work with / around this concept becomes more important.Further, the ability to spot emergent entities occurring in very different situations would seem to be vital to allow this concept to grow and be developed. A substantial trans-disciplinary theory of emergence would greatly contribute to the development of a broader application and understanding of complexity science. The EPSRC IDEAS Factory on emergence tackled all of these issues, resulting in a number of funded projects. In order to maintain good communication between those involved in the projects, to further address the outcomes of the sandpit, and to encourage interdisplinary communication surrounding complexity and emergence, a network to cover emergence across disciplines is required.