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Adaptive systems / Improvise, adapt, overcome.
Improvise, adapt, overcome.
Topic: Adaptive systems
by Eleanor, 2020 Cohort
What are they?#
Complex adaptive systems are dynamic networks of constantly interacting agents or elements; these interactions tend to have knock-on effects which make the evolution of the whole very hard to predict, even with complete knowledge of the parts. The complex adaptive system constantly interacts with its environment, receiving and giving feedback which acts in tandem with internal shifts to adjust the system. Agents in the system act as a network rather than a hierarchy but still exhibit self-organisation patterns, thereby reducing entropy.
What are their characteristics?#
Adaptive systems vary enormously but there are a few characteristics that can be used to define them:
- Diverse and varied agents, which consciously or unconsciously have their own abilities and motives,
- The past has an influence on later behaviour, with historical events or shifts bearing on present characteristics of the system,
- Non-linear interactions between agents, so small changes can have knock-on effects
- A self-organising system wherein there is no central control and no agent with complete information about the workings of the system as a whole,
- A constant flow of energy between agents and from the outside environment, as complex adaptive systems do not operate at an equilibrium state,
- Interactions are rich- any agent or sub-system impacts and is impacted by one or more other agents, and these interactions may cause reactive
- Processes and interactive outcomes are irreducible due to their complexity
What are some examples?#
Adaptive systems are everywhere- things like neural networks, ant colonies, grassroots political organisations, the internet and megacities are all examples of complex adaptive systems. One particularly illustrative example would be language development: over periods of thousands of years, languages develop grammar systems, vocabularies, taboos, idioms and so on and these continue to evolve alongside the societies that use them. They are impacted by their original location and the physical characteristics of the speakers’ environment, but also have adaptive features to allow them to spread. Sometimes this spread is more related to speakers’ military or cultural strength rather than the language itself, as the speakers’ societal construction impacts how the language evolves- for example, if there exists a strict hierarchy there may be multiple forms of
How do we study them?#
Theories about adaptive systems tend to come from the fields of physics and mathematics but spread into other sciences later, eventually disseminating into psychology, anthropology and other social disciplines. As there is complexity and emergence in nearly every system that we can think of, however, the study of adaptive systems is currently gaining traction in additional fields right now.
Why use an adaptive-systems way of thinking?#
Because so many networks can be classed as adaptive systems, this way of thinking is broadly applicable when trying to understand complex networks of interacting agents, and can give a broader understanding of how these can change according to environment. It’s a way of finding emergent order in nonlinear structures, and can help us to work out how to adapt to change and overcome shocks to the system.
Explore this topic further#
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Adaptive systems in the Primer
Disclaimer#
This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
You can improve articles on this topic as a student in "Unravelling Complexity", or by including the amendments in an email to: Chris.Browne@anu.edu.au
What are they?#
Complex adaptive systems are dynamic networks of constantly interacting agents or elements; these interactions tend to have knock-on effects which make the evolution of the whole very hard to predict, even with complete knowledge of the parts. The complex adaptive system constantly interacts with its environment, receiving and giving feedback which acts in tandem with internal shifts to adjust the system. Agents in the system act as a network rather than a hierarchy but still exhibit self-organisation patterns, thereby reducing entropy.
What are their characteristics?#
Adaptive systems vary enormously but there are a few characteristics that can be used to define them:
- Diverse and varied agents, which consciously or unconsciously have their own abilities and motives,
- The past has an influence on later behaviour, with historical events or shifts bearing on present characteristics of the system,
- Non-linear interactions between agents, so small changes can have knock-on effects
- A self-organising system wherein there is no central control and no agent with complete information about the workings of the system as a whole,
- A constant flow of energy between agents and from the outside environment, as complex adaptive systems do not operate at an equilibrium state,
- Interactions are rich- any agent or sub-system impacts and is impacted by one or more other agents, and these interactions may cause reactive
- Processes and interactive outcomes are irreducible due to their complexity
What are some examples?#
Adaptive systems are everywhere- things like neural networks, ant colonies, grassroots political organisations, the internet and megacities are all examples of complex adaptive systems. One particularly illustrative example would be language development: over periods of thousands of years, languages develop grammar systems, vocabularies, taboos, idioms and so on and these continue to evolve alongside the societies that use them. They are impacted by their original location and the physical characteristics of the speakers’ environment, but also have adaptive features to allow them to spread. Sometimes this spread is more related to speakers’ military or cultural strength rather than the language itself, as the speakers’ societal construction impacts how the language evolves- for example, if there exists a strict hierarchy there may be multiple forms of
How do we study them?#
Theories about adaptive systems tend to come from the fields of physics and mathematics but spread into other sciences later, eventually disseminating into psychology, anthropology and other social disciplines. As there is complexity and emergence in nearly every system that we can think of, however, the study of adaptive systems is currently gaining traction in additional fields right now.
Why use an adaptive-systems way of thinking?#
Because so many networks can be classed as adaptive systems, this way of thinking is broadly applicable when trying to understand complex networks of interacting agents, and can give a broader understanding of how these can change according to environment. It’s a way of finding emergent order in nonlinear structures, and can help us to work out how to adapt to change and overcome shocks to the system.