Evolutionary Complex Systems: The Self-Organization of Communities

Any mathematical models of human systems that consist of deterministic, mechanical equations are only temporary representations of the structure and organisation present in the system at a particular time. In fact, the structure and organization of the system in question changes qualitatively over time, as the components and interaction mechanisms emerge and change through time. This paper addresses the mathematical modelling of the over-arching process which leads to the emergence and evolution of “ecologies” of interacting entities that make up socio-economic systems. It describes the underlying processes that change the taxonomy of a system, and through which new behaviours and challenges emerge in the system. These changes are essentially unpredictable, as is the expected time of stability of any existing structure and taxonomy. Sustainability and wisdom are therefore shown to lie in the maintenance of the capacity for adaptation and change, rather than in the efficiency of any particular temporarily fixed system. Several applications of these ideas are discussed.