Title
When Can we Call a System Self-organizing?
Abstract
We do not attempt to provide yet another definition of self-organization, but explore the conditions under which we can model a system as self-organizing. These involve the dynamics of entropy, and the purpose, aspects, and description level chosen by an observer. We show how, changing the level or "graining" of description, the same system can appear self-organizing or self-disorganizing. We discuss ontological issues we face when studying self-organizing systems, and analyse when designing and controlling artificial self-organizing systems is useful. We conclude that self-organization is a way of observing systems, not an absolute class of systems.
Year
DOI
Venue
2003
10.1007/978-3-540-39432-7_65
ADVANCES IN ARTIFICIAL LIFE, PROCEEDINGS
Keywords
DocType
Volume
neural network,self organization,statistical mechanics,computational complexity
Conference
2801
ISSN
Citations 
PageRank 
0302-9743
55
3.06
References 
Authors
1
2
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Carlos Gershenson139242.34
Francis Heylighen221720.62