“Overall, then, we will view cas [complex adaptive systems] as systems composed of interacting agents described in terms of rules. These agents adapt by changing their rules as experience accumulates. In cas, a major part of the environment of any given adaptive agent consists of other adaptive agents, so that a portion of any agent's efforts at adaptation is spent adapting to other adaptive agents. This one feature is a major source of the complex temporal patterns that cas generate. To understand cas we must understand these ever-changing patterns.” AgentsComplexityAdaptationEcosystemsSystemsComplex Adaptive Systems Book:Hidden order: how adaptation builds complexity Source: Hidden order: how adaptation builds complexity
“Tags [distinctive agent features observable by other agents] almost always define the network by delimiting the critical interactions, the major connections. Tags acquire this role because the adaptive processes that modify cas [complex adaptive systems] select for tags that mediate useful interactions and against tags that cause malfunctions. That is, agents with useful tags spread, while agents with malfunctioning tags cease to exist.” CommunicationEvolutionSystemsSocial BehaviorNetworksComplex Adaptive SystemsTags Book:Hidden order: how adaptation builds complexity Source: Hidden order: how adaptation builds complexity