Complexity in Biological Organization: Deconstruction (and Subsequent Restating) of Key Concepts.

Area of Science:

• Complexity Science
• Systems Biology
• Interdisciplinary Science

Background:

• The term "complexity" lacks a precise definition, leading to fragmented scientific understanding.
• Existing research often isolates complexity within specific domains, hindering interdisciplinary connections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconstruct a unified understanding of complexity from the ground up.
• To identify convergent features across diverse complex systems.
• To foster an integrative scientific approach overcoming cultural fragmentation.

Main Methods:

• Bottom-up analysis of complex systems.
• Comparative feature analysis across biological, inanimate, and artefactual systems.
• Identification of shared characteristics defining complexity.

Main Results:

• Identified convergent features that define complexity across different system types.
• Demonstrated analogous characteristics in biological and non-biological complex systems.
• Established a framework for an integrative understanding of complexity.

Conclusions:

• A unified, feature-based definition of complexity is achievable.
• Interdisciplinary parallels can bridge scientific cultural divides.
• This integrative approach offers a path toward a new scientific mainstream.