Complex systems are always correlated but rarely information processing
- 'Complex systems are information processors' is a statement that is frequently made. Here we argue for the distinction between information processing-in the sense of encoding and transmitting a symbolic representation-and the formation of correlations (pattern formation/self-organisation). The study of both uses tools from information theory, but the purpose is very different in each case: explaining the mechanisms and understanding the purpose or function in the first case, versus data analysis and correlation extraction in the latter. We give examples of both and discuss some open questions. The distinction helps focus research efforts on the relevant questions in each case.
| Author details: | Karoline WiesnerORCiDGND, James Ladyman |
|---|---|
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2632-072X/ac371c |
| ISSN: | 2632-072X |
| Title of parent work (English): | Journal of physics. Complexity |
| Publisher: | IOP Publ. Ltd. |
| Place of publishing: | Bristol |
| Publication type: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Date of first publication: | 2021/11/29 |
| Publication year: | 2021 |
| Release date: | 2023/09/20 |
| Tag: | complex systems; correlations; information; information theory; processing; self-organisation |
| Volume: | 2 |
| Issue: | 4 |
| Article number: | 045015 |
| Number of pages: | 4 |
| Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
| DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 53 Physik / 530 Physik |
| Peer review: | Referiert |
| Publishing method: | Open Access / Gold Open-Access |
| DOAJ gelistet | |
| License (German): |  CC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International |
