Complexity Thresholds and Complexity Transitions

Description

Cadell Last:

"(Through) complexity science ... we can read a story articulating the notion that our universe undergoes fundamental transformations described as ‘complexity thresholds’ (Christian 2008). Complexity thresholds occur when a form of structural organization emerges and stabilizes a novel regime of phenomena (a new level of the materialist hierarchy). Dominant descriptions of these complexity transitions have been grounded in either an informational base (universal complexity as best understood in algorithmic terms) (Baker 2013), or with an energetic base (universal complexity as best understood in thermodynamic terms) (Spier 2005). In these respective frames we seek to understand the way in which the universe generally processes information and the way in which the universe generally organizes energetic flows of matter.

The most common linear demarcation of these information-energy complexity thresholds into a universal narrative includes the following fundamental distinctions:

(MB: I adapted line 8 and 9)

• 1 Origin of the universe (spacetime)

• 2 First stars and galaxies (heterogeneity)

• 3 Formation of chemical elements (diversification)

• 4 Formation of Earth, solar system (localization)

• 5 Emergence of life (self-reference)

• 6 Emergence of humanity (narrativization)

• 7 Transition to agriculture (civilization)

• 8 Modern industrial revolution (national to international)

(note MB: I would add

• 9: informational (global to cosmo-local)

(https://cadelllast.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/last-c.-2019.-symbolic-orders-and-the-structure-of-universal-internalization.pdf)

Discussion

A Critique

Fred Spier:

"The idea of thresholds of increasing complexity as the principal organizing principle for big history contains important flaws, and should be abandoned. A proper understanding of this controversial theoretical issue is vitally important not only for a good understanding of academic big history but also for teaching it both within academia and in secondary schools.Over the past ten years I have offered earlier versions of this criticism many times in private but expand on them here in public for the first time. While I differ on this issue with David Christian, who is the originator and principal advocate of the Thresholds Approach, I continue to respect and highly value his pioneering work in big history.

To understand the issues involved, first a history of the Thresholds Approach will be sketched. This will be followed by a critical examination of this concept. When and how did the concept of thresholds of big history emerge?

On March 2, 2011, David Christian gave a TED talk summarizing all of big history called “The History of World in 18 Minutes.” This was part of a session with the title Knowledge Revolution that was guest-curated by Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. This TED talk was intended to launch their joint initiative, called the Big History Project (BHP), to create a secondary school project for teaching big history by providing online all the needed materials.

In this talk, Christian suggested a structure for big history based on what he called thresholds of complexity, with each threshold indicating a further rise of complexity within big history. A total of eight thresholds were chosen.

In his TED talk these thresholds were

1.  Big  Bang;  2.  The  stars  light  up;  3.  New chemical elements; 4. Earth and the solar system; 5.  Life  on  Earth;  6.  The  appearance  of  our  
species;  7.  Agriculture; and 8. The Modern Revolution. 

In his book Origin Story: Big History of Everything (2018) these thresholds became

1.  The  Big  Bang;  2.  The  emergence  of  stars;  3.  The  emergence  of  the  first  heavy elements forged in large stars; 4. The emergence of our solar 
system; 5. The emergence of life on Earth; 6. The emergence of Homo sapiens; 7. The emergence of agriculture; 8. The emergence of the Anthropocene (starting   
in   the   20th   century);   and   9.   A   future   sustainable  world  order?  

In the time line of the same book, Threshold 8 is also mentioned as the ‘emergence of the fossil fuel revolution.’ In his TED talk, Christian announced the Thresholds Approach as follows: Each stage [of rising complexity in big history] is magical. They create the impression of something utterly new, appearing from almost nowhere in the Universe. We refer in big history to these moments as thresholds moments.

In this article, the concept of Thresholds of Big History is critically examined. It should be abandoned because it is fundamentally flawed."

(https://jbh.journals.villanova.edu/index.php/JBH/article/view/2723/2584)