The Control Principles of Complex Systems
Lead PIs
Abstract
Many of the truly difficult problems limiting advances in contemporary science are rooted in our limited understanding of how complex systems are controlled. Indeed, in human cells millions of molecules are embedded in a complex genetic network that lacks an obvious controller; in society billions of individuals interact with each other through intricate trust-family-friendship-professional-association based networks apparently controlled by no one; economic change is driven by what economists call the “invisible hand of the market”, reflecting a lack of understanding of the control principles that govern the interactions between individuals, companies, banks and regulatory agencies.
These and many other examples raise several fundamental questions: What are the control principles of complex systems? How do complex systems organize themselves to achieve sufficient control to ensure functionality? This project is motivated by the hypothesis that the architecture of many complex systems is driven by the system’s need to achieve sufficient control to maintain its basic functions. Hence uncovering the control principles of complex self-organized systems can help us understand the fundamental laws that govern them.