Irreducible Complexity Research Articles

Ageing-in-the-world

AbstractAgeing brings together biological, personal, and social horizons. Attempts to reduce it or to privilege one of these dimensions over the others fail to fully capture the phenomenon. The temporality of ageing presents an irreducible complexity. It is the inextricable intertwinement of three temporalities, three rhythms on different scales: biological time, personal-narrative time, and historical time. In all these dimensions something is of crucial concern: time and temporality. Yet, many philosophers who have thought about time (even those who take seriously the lived experience of temporality) have paid little attention to ageing. Drawing from Heidegger, Scheler, and Schutz, this paper argues that ageing is an irreducible complex of different temporalities where one encounters the historicity of the world through a process of losing touch with it.

The Irreducible Novelty of Chemistry in Natural History

The central metaphor of nature as a watch has colored the debate about natural theology since Paley and Darwin. However, a chemical interpretation of natural history will differ because chemical systems do not work like watches. Here, a natural history of chemical constraints proposed by R. J. P. Williams is interpreted through Joseph Earley's two modes of "chemical becoming" with classical realism and the philosophy of emergence. This interpretation shifts attention from a system's irreducible complexity to its irreducible novelty, focusing on its novel existence and its transcendental truth, goodness, and beauty. A view of natural history in which irreducible novelty evolves through chemistry has several advantages: it accommodates continuous change (giving direction to a gradual mechanism of evolution) and irreversible change (providing an important yet limited role for chance rather than denying its existence or overemphasizing its power). A chemical perspective perceives the inherent "makeability" and manifest order of the universe.

The Irreducible Novelty of Chemistry in Natural History

The central metaphor of nature as a watch has colored the debate about natural theology since Paley and Darwin. However, a chemical interpretation of natural history will differ because chemical systems do not work like watches. Here, a natural history of chemical constraints proposed by R. J. P. Williams is interpreted through Joseph Earley's two modes of "chemical becoming" with classical realism and the philosophy of emergence. This interpretation shifts attention from a system's irreducible complexity to its irreducible novelty, focusing on its novel existence and its transcendental truth, goodness, and beauty. A view of natural history in which irreducible novelty evolves through chemistry has several advantages: it accommodates continuous change (giving direction to a gradual mechanism of evolution) and irreversible change (providing an important yet limited role for chance rather than denying its existence or overemphasizing its power). A chemical perspective perceives the inherent "makeability" and manifest order of the universe.

Space–time labeling diversity for distributed Goppa-coded cooperative networks over Nakagami-[formula omitted] channels

This paper proposes the novel space–time labeling diversity for the distributed Goppa-coded cooperation (STLD-DGCC) scheme over the Nakagami-q fading channel to improve the performance of the short-to-medium information block transmission. Two different Goppa codes with the same information length are deployed in the source and the relay, respectively, with the Goppa code at the relay providing additional redundancy. Meanwhile, two distinct labeling mappers of M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) are used in the novel space–time labeling diversity (STLD) to achieve the extra diversity gain and decrease the error floor (EF) region in the Goppa coding scheme. To lower the computational complexity of the maximum likelihood (ML) detection, a near-ML reduced-complexity (RC) detection approach that compromises the system performance and the computation complexity is proposed. In addition, two novel joint decoding algorithms based on the critical signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) threshold are presented at the destination, namely the parallel algorithm and serial algorithm, to enhance the overall performance of the proposed STLD-DGCC scheme. In the case of the Nakagami-q fading model, the analytical union bound of the average bit error probability is provided, which tightly matches the Monte Carlo simulated results at high SNR. The simulation results further indicate that the proposed STLD-DGCC scheme significantly outperforms both the corresponding non-cooperative Goppa coding scheme and the DGCC scheme without the STLD technique under identical conditions. Furthermore, the performance of the STLD-DGCC scheme surpasses that of the existing transmission scheme, offering a promising candidate for further small information block communications.

„Die Wirklichkeit ist die Unwahrscheinlichkeit, die eingetreten ist“: Wahrscheinlichkeit, Wirklichkeit und Wahrheit im Werk Friedrich Dürrenmatts

This paper examines the role of probability in the thought and work of the Swiss writer Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921–1990), focusing on his definition of reality as the improbability which occurred. I argue that this expression encapsulates his lifelong critical investigation of the possibilities and limitations of the representation of the modern world. The polyvalent concept of probability serves Dürrenmatt in his essays, drama, and prose fiction to illuminate the irreducible complexity of reality, the inevitable constraints of human perception, and the futility of seeking to reconstruct empirical causality end-to-end. The concept of reality as an improbability which occurred defines both the empirical reality which Dürrenmatt seeks to analyze through his fiction, as well as the subjective reality he creates within his “fictional worlds,” thus forming a crucial conjunction between his worldview and his literary work.

Interspersed expression of CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON2 and REDUCED COMPLEXITY shapes Cardamine hirsuta complex leaf form.

How genetically regulated growth shapes organ form is a key problem in developmental biology. Here, we investigate this problem using the leaflet-bearing complex leaves of Cardamine hirsuta as a model. Leaflet development requires the action of two growth-repressing transcription factors: REDUCED COMPLEXITY (RCO), a homeodomain protein, and CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON2 (CUC2), a NAC-domain protein. However, how their respective growth-repressive actions are integrated in space and time to generate complex leaf forms remains unknown. By using live imaging, we show that CUC2 and RCO are expressed in an interspersed fashion along the leaf margin, creating a distinctive striped pattern. We find that this pattern is functionally important because forcing RCO expression in the CUC2 domain disrupts auxin-based marginal patterning and can abolish leaflet formation. By combining genetic perturbations with time-lapse imaging and cellular growth quantifications, we provide evidence that RCO-mediated growth repression occurs after auxin-based leaflet patterning and in association with the repression of cell proliferation. Additionally, through the use of genetic mosaics, we show that RCO is sufficient to repress both cellular growth and proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner. This mechanism of growth repression is different to that of CUC2, which occurs in proliferating cells. Our findings clarify how the two growth repressors RCO and CUC2 coordinate to subdivide developing leaf primordia into distinct leaflets and generate the complex leaf form. They also indicate different relationships between growth repression and cell proliferation in the patterning and post-patterning stages of organogenesis.

Navigating the Biocosmos: Cornerstones of a Bioeconomic Utopia

One important insight from complexity science is that the future is open, and that this openness is an opportunity for us to participate in its shaping. The bioeconomy has been part of this process of “future-making”. But instead of a fertile ecosystem of imagined futures, a dry monoculture of ideas seems to dominate the landscape, promising salvation through technology. With this article, we intend to contribute to regenerating the ecological foundations of the bioeconomy. What would it entail if we were to merge with the biosphere instead of machines? To lay the cornerstones of a bioeconomic utopia, we explore the basic principles of self-organization that underlie biological, ecological, social, and psychological processes alike. All these are self-assembling and self-regulating elastic structures that exist at the edge of chaos and order. We then revisit the Promethean problem that lies at the foundation of bioeconomic thought and discuss how, during industrialization, the principles of spontaneous self-organization were replaced by the linear processes of the assembly line. We ultimately propose a bioeconomy based on human needs with the household as the basic unit: the biocosmos. The biocosmos is an agroecological habitat system of irreducible complexity, a new human niche embedded into the local ecosystem.

Lifelike Transformative Materials for Biohybrid Implants: Inspired by Nature, Driven by Technology.

Today's living world is enriched with a myriad of natural biological designs, shaped by billions of years of evolution. Unraveling the construction rules of living organisms offers the potential to create new materials and systems for biomedicine. From the close examination of living organisms, several concepts emerge: hierarchy, pattern repetition, adaptation, and irreducible complexity. All these aspects must be tackled to develop transformative materials with lifelike behavior. This perspective article highlights recent progress in the development of transformative biohybrid systems for applications in the fields of tissue regeneration and biomedicine. Advances in computational simulations and data-driven predictions are also discussed. These tools enable the virtual high-throughput screening of implant design and performance before committing to fabrication, thus reducing the development time and cost of biomimetic and biohybrid constructs. The ongoing progress of imaging methods also constitutes an essential part of this matter in order to validate the computation models and enable longitudinal monitoring. Finally, the current challenges of lifelike biohybrid materials, including reproducibility, ethical considerations, and translation, are discussed. Advances in the development of lifelike materials will open new biomedical horizons, where perhaps what is currently envisioned as science fiction will become a science-driven reality in the future.

Beautiful the beauty—Dionne Brand’s Theory and Canisia Lubrin’s Voodoo Hypothesis

Against the reductive and the often universalizing poetics of much poetry and much theoretical discourse that abandons feelings from its rhetoric, the works of Dionne Brand’s Theory and Canisia Lubrin’s Voodoo Hypothesis promote layered, black and multivocal reflections on beauty. They act out self-interrogating dialectics rather than provide symbolic clarity of their subjects. There is no aesthetic consolation in these works and that’s where the beauty lies. Their works ask readers to enter into irreducible complexity as a form of attention. I posit that these black creative politics – in this poetry – are tied up in reading-work that can newly anticipate our global condition through ethical collectivity.

Trigonometric $$F^{mn}$$-transform of multi-variable functions and its application to the partial differential equations and image processing

In this study, we focus on the extension of the trigonometric F-transform for functions in one variable to: (i) a larger domain, (ii) a higher degree of the $$F^m$$ -transform, and (iii) many-variable functions to improve its approximation properties over the entire domain and especially at its boundaries. In addition, the properties of approximation and convergence of direct and inverse extended and multidimensional trigonometric $$F^{m}$$ -transforms are discussed. Then, direct formulas for partial derivatives of functions of several variables are obtained in terms of trigonometric $$F^{m}$$ -transforms, which are used to solve the Cauchy problem for the transport equation. A new image compression method is proposed and compared with well-established compression methods such as JPEG, JPEG 2000 and their less complex variations JPEG(APDCBT), JPEG(APUBT3), APUBT3-NUP, and JPEG-FT. We have shown that this $$^t\bar{F}^ {11 }$$ -transform image compression method has high accuracy and reasonably low (irreducible) complexity.

The cellular basis for synergy between RCO and KNOX1 homeobox genes in leaf shape diversity

Leaves of seed plants provide an attractive system to study the development and evolution of form. Leaves show varying degrees of margin complexity ranging from simple, as in Arabidopsis thaliana, to fully dissected into leaflets in the closely related species Cardamine hirsuta. Leaflet formation requires actions of Class I KNOTTED1-LIKE HOMEOBOX (KNOX1) and REDUCED COMPLEXITY (RCO) homeobox genes, which are expressed in the leaves of C.hirsuta but not A.thaliana. Evolutionary studies indicate that diversification of KNOX1 and RCO genes was repeatedly associated with increased leaf complexity. However, whether this gene combination represents a developmentally favored avenue for leaflet formation remains unknown, and the cell-level events through which the combined action of these genes drives leaflet formation are also poorly understood. Here we show, through a genetic screen, that when a C.hirsuta RCO transgene is expressed in A.thaliana, then ectopic KNOX1 expression in leaves represents a preferred developmental path for leaflet formation. Using time-lapse growth analysis, we demonstrate that KNOX1 expression in the basal domain of leaves leads to prolonged and anisotropic cell growth. This KNOX1 action, in synergy with local growth repression by RCO, is instrumental in generating rachises and petiolules, the linear geometrical elements, that bear leaflets in complex leaves. Our results show how the combination of cell-level growth analyses and genetics can help us understand how evolutionary modifications in expression of developmentally important genes are translated into diverse leaf shapes.

The Expansion Complexity of Ultimately Periodic Sequences Over Finite Fields

The expansion complexity is a new figure of merit for cryptographic sequences. In this paper, we present an explicit formula of the (irreducible) expansion complexity of ultimately periodic sequences over finite fields. We also provide improved upper and lower bounds on the $N$ th irreducible expansion complexity when they are not explicitly determined. In addition, for some infinite sequences with given nonlinear complexity, a tighter upper bound of their $N$ th expansion complexity is given.

The War That Never Was: Evolution and Christian Theology

The War That Never Was: Evolution and Christian Theology

Reduction without Reductionism

School and university teachers of Religious Studies (RS) are caught between presenting the irreducible complexity of their subject matter, and the practicalities of selection and simplification that pedagogy entails. The entanglements of culture, politics and ideology within RS, along with the colonialist and hegemonic histories of the subject, make questions of just representation especially acute. How can educators be inclusive and selective? The central strand of my argument concerns the “translation” between the academic study of religion in universities and religious education in schools. I argue that this translation necessarily involves “pedagogical reduction” – the selections and simplifications that teaching involves – and that we must carefully consider the basis upon which we form our pedagogical reductions. Establishing that basis depends on interdisciplinary dialogue between scholars of religion, scholars of education, and educators more generally. I argue that there is a conspicuous disconnection between critical scholarship in the scientific study of religion(s) and critical scholarship in the “educational sciences.” I justify the need for, and outline the nature of, dialogue between these scholarly communities through consideration of four interrelated pedagogical concepts that I offer as preliminary outlines towards the development of more robust and systematic criteria for developing a religious education that is simultaneously inclusive and selective.

Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology

Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology

Embracing Irreducible Complexity: The Health Alliance Approach

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)The IJIC 20th Anniversary Issue was published in 2021.

Fine Mapping of a Locus Underlying the Ectopic Blade-Like Outgrowths on Leaf and Screening Its Candidate Genes in Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

Leaf is an important organ for higher plants, and the shape of it is one of the crucial traits of crops. In this study, we investigated a unique aberrant leaf morphology trait in a mutational rapeseed material, which displayed ectopic blade-like outgrowths on the adaxial side of leaf. The abnormal line 132000B-3 was crossed with the normal line 827-3. Based on the F2:3 family, we constructed two DNA pools (normal pool and abnormal pool) by the bulked segregant analysis (BSA) method and performed whole genome re-sequencing (WGR), obtaining the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and insertion/deletion (InDel) data. The SNP-index method was used to calculate the Δ(SNP/InDel-index), and then an association region was identified on chromosome A10 with a length of 5.5 Mbp, harboring 1048 genes totally. Subsequently, the fine mapping was conducted by using the penta-primer amplification refractory mutation system (PARMS), and the associated region was narrowed down to a 35.1-kbp segment, containing only seven genes. These seven genes were then analyzed according to their annotations and finally, BnA10g0422620 and BnA10g0422610, orthologs of LATE MERISTEM IDENTITY1 (LMI1) gene from Arabidopsis and REDUCED COMPLEXITY (RCO) gene from its relative Cardamine hirsuta, respectively, were identified as the candidate genes responding to this blade-like outgrowth trait in rapeseed. This study provides a novel perspective into the leaf formation in Brassica plants.

Something wicked this way comes: How well did UK newspapers support the public debate of Avian Influenza as a wicked problem?

The news media in general, and newspapers in particular, are supposed to provide a forum for public debate. These expectations of news media take on a heightened relevance in the case of wicked problems precisely because of the irreducible complexity, the inherent tensions, and the multiplicity of stakeholders and conflicting interests involved in such issues. Both their material complexity and lack of consensus make wicked problems difficult to address. This study uses British newspaper coverage of the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak (2003–2008) to determine if under near ideal conditions, newspaper coverage in the UK is compatible with the expectation that newspapers provide a forum that supports constructive societal debate of a complex, wicked problem. We chose to work with avian influenza because it was extensively covered, evidence rich, and not captive to clear partisan constructions. Our frame analysis examined 254 relevant newspaper articles published in seven national circulation outlets between 2003 and 2008. Newspaper coverage did reflect multiple problem definitions and causal interpretations of avian influenza, which is consistent with the expectation that the media inform and open up public debate. Coverage did not, however, link avian flu to other related issues, engage in systemic contestation or problematise structure. Finally, we found that, despite heterogeneous problem definitions, there was near consensus on a single technical solution. This coverage does not appear to support the open, constructive and informed public debate whose promise justifies the privileges given to news media.

Is Intelligent Design the Answer to Darwinism? Marcos Eberlin’s Foresight and the Limits of Irreducible Complexity as Scientific Paradigm

Marcos Eberlin is a chemist and mass spectrometer who advances in a new book a refined Intelligent Design (ID) theory hinging on “foresight,” or the apparent teleology and purpose discernible in biological, chemical, and other complex life systems. Repurposing older ID arguments, such as those of “irreducible complexity,” and introducing new examples of phenomena pointed to by other ID theorists, Eberlin makes a strong argument for mindful creation by a “superintellect”. But is ID sufficient to answer Darwinism? Does “foresight” go far enough in providing an alternative view of the origin of complex lifeforms? I argue that Eberlin, and other ID theorists, does not have a robust-enough definition of science to counter non-theistic theories of biology and biochemistry. An Aristotelian-Thomistic understanding of science allows us to go beyond the divide between ID and a-theistic theories and move the science-and-faith debate onto more solid ground.

A bar too high? On the use of practical wisdom in business ethics

AbstractIn the business ethics literature, many argue that managerial decision making ought to be improved by more robust ethical concerns. Some see the virtue of “practical wisdom” as the key for improved managerial decision making. However, because of the epistemic limitations confronting decision makers in the face of irreducible market complexity, there is a risk that practical wisdom, employed in the context of day‐to‐day managerial decision making, becomes an impractical concept. Nevertheless, if the attempt to incorporate virtue ethics (and its related concepts) into business practices is laudable, if indeed a virtuous life is worth pursuing and practical wisdom plays an essential role toward that end, it is important to attempt to salvage practical wisdom and uncover its appropriate usage. Thus, this article pursues two major ends. First, upon surveying some of the prominent and standard usages of the term, it articulates concerns, rooted in epistemic limitations, about the way that practical wisdom appears in business ethics literature. Second, it offers a new way forward for understanding “practical wisdom.” By contextualizing day‐to‐day, rule‐based managerial decision making within the ethical value of the market order, practical wisdom reappears as the higher‐order capacity to pursue vocations, as morally worthwhile projects, in business.