Bernard Testa1*and Lemont B. Kier2
1 School of Pharmacy, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Tel.: +41 21 692 4521, Fax: +41 21 692 4525,
E-mail: [email protected]
2 Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA,
E-mail: [email protected]
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 21 November 1999 / Accepted: 28 January 2000 / Published: 4 February 2000
Abstract:
The formation of complex systems is accompanied by the emergence of properties
that are non-existent in the components. But what of the properties and behaviour
of such components caught up in the formation of a system of a higher level
of complexity? In this assay, we use a large variety of examples, from
molecules to organisms and beyond, to show that systems merging into a
complex system of higher order experience constraints with a partial loss
of choice, options and independence. In other words, emergence in a complex
system often implies reduction in the number of probable states of its
components, a phenomenon we term dissolvence. This is seen in atoms when
they merge to form molecules, in biomolecules when they form macromolecules
such as proteins, and in macromolecules when they form aggregates such
as molecular machines or membranes. At higher biological levels, dissolvence
occurs for example in components of cells (e.g. organelles), tissues (cells),
organs (tissues), organisms (organs) and societies (individuals).
Far from being a destruction,
dissolvence is understood here as a creative process in which information
is generated to fuel the process of self-organisation of complex systems,
allowing them to appear and evolve to higher states of organisation and
emergence. Questions are raised about the relationship of dissolvence and
adaptability; the interrelation with top-down causation; the reversibility
of dissolvence; and the connection between dissolvence and anticipation.
Keywords: property space; emergent properties; dissolvence; information; self-organisation; complex systems; complexity.