Posted by
Stephen Guerin on
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Kinds-of-complexity-tp522384p522389.html
Robert writes:
> At least those scientists had the good sense to give these
> quantities different names. We just call each of our
> disparate quantites 'complexity' and then wonder why we can't
> get any equations to work.
The history of thermodynamics was interesting when folks had many defintions for
the concept of "heat" and later "work". Early definitions struggled when these
terms were defined as things that flow instead of defined as processes. I
speculate that Complexity, if it is ever defined, will also be a closely-related
process definition.
-Steve
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Holmes [mailto:robert at holmesacosta.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 2:14 PM
> To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Kinds of complexity
>
>
>
> On 8/9/06, Pamela McCorduck <pamela at well.com> wrote:
>
> <snip>
> ...In fact, asking for the true mathematical definition
> of complexity today is like asking for the true mathematical
> definition of electricity in 1800: to understand electricity,
> it turned out to be much more productive to define several
> quantities, such as charge, current, voltage, inductance, etc.
>
>
> At least those scientists had the good sense to give these
> quantities different names. We just call each of our
> disparate quantites 'complexity' and then wonder why we can't
> get any equations to work.
>
> Robert
>
>
>