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> A nice chubby complex system, on the other hand, is likely to be more resilient. You should take a look at tardigrades then (aka water bears), which are appr

> A nice chubby complex system, on the other hand, is likely to be more resilient. You should take a look at tardigrades then (aka water bears), which are approx. 1mm in length, obviously less complex than most living creatures, yet are some of the most resilient animals on earth; highly resistant to extreme temperatures, pressure, radiation, etc. One way to look at resilience: a relationship between the system and its environment. So when you say resilient, you need to specify, resilient to what? I think a resilient system, is neither too complex, nor too simple, but rather, adapted to its environment.

hnarn 8y ago
Complexity only gives you resilience in the same way monkeys write Shakespeare. So, while not technically wrong, I wouldn't say it holds water. The old adage of "security through obscurity" comes to mind.
- phorkyas82 8y ago
  That's not complexity but entropy. In terms of entropy you could better Shakespeare by using only one sentence, word or letter for the whole play. As a boy I inhaled the spirit of Mitchell M. Waldrop "Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos" that for some time it was my life dream, maybe still is, to perform some work connected to said institute. I'd say it like that: The amount of features you need to sufficiently (in your metric) model a given system defines its complexity. - Something for which a rigid body is enough: probably not so interesting. Autocatalytical reactions?... Something biochemical maybe more.
natmaka 8y ago
Resilience of a given species may be related to the diversity inside it, and in such a case (and all else unchanged) complexity may add to it (more characteristics). On a related(?) path see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation
rumcajz 8y ago
I haven't meant resilience to the environment. I've meant resilience to change. In biological terms that would be mutation. In programming terms, is whether the program survives if a random person, unfamiliar with the code, modifies it.

hnarn 8y ago

Complexity only gives you resilience in the same way monkeys write Shakespeare. So, while not technically wrong, I wouldn't say it holds water. The old adage of "security through obscurity" comes to mind.

phorkyas82 8y ago
That's not complexity but entropy. In terms of entropy you could better Shakespeare by using only one sentence, word or letter for the whole play. As a boy I inhaled the spirit of Mitchell M. Waldrop "Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos" that for some time it was my life dream, maybe still is, to perform some work connected to said institute. I'd say it like that: The amount of features you need to sufficiently (in your metric) model a given system defines its complexity. - Something for which a rigid body is enough: probably not so interesting. Autocatalytical reactions?... Something biochemical maybe more.

natmaka 8y ago

Resilience of a given species may be related to the diversity inside it, and in such a case (and all else unchanged) complexity may add to it (more characteristics). On a related(?) path see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaptation

rumcajz 8y ago

I haven't meant resilience to the environment. I've meant resilience to change. In biological terms that would be mutation. In programming terms, is whether the program survives if a random person, unfamiliar with the code, modifies it.