Chaos, Complexity, and Self-Organization

How does the complex emerge from the simple? Can complex phenomena such as life and consciousness be reduced to a physical description in terms of "fundamental particles" interacting through "fundamental forces"? Are there phenomena so complex that they cannot be reduced to a more fundamental level? Questions such as these lie at the heart of complexity science, an interdisciplinary field that provides a conceptual framework for understanding emergent complexity in the natural and social sciences. The texts will include James Gleick, Chaos, M. Mitchell Waldrop, Complexity, and Steven Strogatz, Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order. We will use algebra and simple pre-calculus. 3 hrs. sem.