Emergence

Rögnvaldur J. Sæmundsson

ABMS

January 18

2007

Overview

• Examples of emergence

• Definition of emergence

• Conditions for emergence

• Designing emergence

• Emergence in social systems

• Miniproject: The standing ovation problem

Patterns

• http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/emergence/• http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/emergence/make-your-own.html• http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/emergence/life-zoo.html

Ants

Slime mold

Sugarscape

Definition of emergence

“The movement from low-level rules to higher level sophistication.”

(Johnson 2001, p. 18)

Conditions for emergence

• Simple systems

• Organized complexity

• Disorganized complexity

Emergence and time

“while the overall colony evolves and adapts over fifteen years, the ants that make up the colony live no longer than twelve months.”

(Johnson 2001, p. 82)

Designing emergence

• More is different

• Ignorance is useful

• Encourage random encounters

• Look for patterns in signs

• Pay attention to neighbors

Emergence in social systems: Cities

World wide web?

Pointers to more

• Basics of emergence (

http://llk.media.mit.edu/projects/emergence/)

• Simulation of ant colonies (http://

serendip.brynmawr.edu/complexity/models/antcolonies/)

• Sugarscape homepage (http://

www.brook.edu/es/dynamics/sugarscape/default.htm)

• Emergence research at Santa Fe (http://www.santafe.edu/research/topics-innovation-evolutionary-systems.php) (http://www.santafe.edu/research/topics-living-systems-dynamics.php)

The standing ovation problem

• Agents are seated in an auditorium listening to a brilliant lecture. At the end of the talk the applause begins, and perhaps a standing ovation ensues.

• Study the conditions under which a standing ovation occur and the process of its emergence.