Re: entropy and uncertainty, REDUX

Posted by Russ Abbott on Aug 07, 2010; 10:05pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/entropy-and-uncertainty-REDUX-tp5375070p5384659.html

I'm not convinced. Much of his complexity has to do with things breaking down, which is more like an increase in entropy rather than complexity.

Besides that, it seems less like a "law" than like an observation--similar to the fact that there are power law relationships all over the place. That doesn't mean there is a "power law force" in nature.

-- Russ

On Sat, Aug 7, 2010 at 12:53 PM, Roger Critchlow <[hidden email]> wrote:

Introducing another thread, the measure of diversity used in ecology
is Shannon's entropy.

-- rec --

---------------------
http://www.semcoop.com/book/9780226562261
---------------------
Biology's First Law: The Tendency for Diversity and Complexity to
Increase in Evolutionary Systems (Paperback)

Description

Life on earth is characterized by three striking phenomena that demand
explanation: adaptation—the marvelous fit between organism and
environment; diversity—the great variety of organisms; and
complexity—the enormous intricacy of their internal structure. Natural
selection explains adaptation. But what explains diversity and
complexity? Daniel W. McShea and Robert N. Brandon argue that there
exists in evolution a spontaneous tendency toward increased diversity
and complexity, one that acts whether natural selection is present or
not. They call this tendency a biological law—the Zero-Force
Evolutionary Law, or ZFEL. This law unifies the principles and data of
biology under a single framework and invites a reconceptualization of
the field of the same sort that Newton’s First Law brought to physics.



Biology’s First Law shows how the ZFEL can be applied to the study of
diversity and complexity and examines its wider implications for
biology. Intended for evolutionary biologists, paleontologists, and
other scientists studying complex systems, and written in a concise
and engaging format that speaks to students and interdisciplinary
practitioners alike, this book will also find an appreciative audience
in the philosophy of science.

About the Author

Daniel W. McShea is Associate Professor of Biology, with a secondary
appointment in Philosophy, and Robert N. Brandon is Professor of
Philosophy, with a secondary appointment in Biology, both at Duke
University.

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============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org