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Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
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Schrödinger's What is Life?-Complexity, Cognition and the City
1Department of Geography and the Human Environment, The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, School of Geosciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 28, 2023
Summary
This study highlights four key concepts from Schrödinger's "What is Life?"—delayed entropy, free energy, order out of order, and aperiodic crystals—and their significance in understanding complex systems, particularly cities.
Area of Science:
- Complexity science
- Biophysics
- Urban studies
Background:
- Schrödinger's "What is Life?" introduced foundational concepts relevant to complex systems.
- Key concepts such as delayed entropy, free energy, order out of order, and aperiodic crystals require deeper exploration within complexity science.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine four underappreciated concepts from Schrödinger's "What is Life?" within the context of complexity.
- To elucidate the role of these concepts in the dynamics of complex systems.
- To demonstrate the applicability of these concepts to understanding cities as complex systems.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of Schrödinger's "What is Life?"
- Theoretical elaboration on delayed entropy, free energy, order out of order, and aperiodic crystals.
- Application of these concepts to urban dynamics.
Main Results:
- Delayed entropy, free energy, order out of order, and aperiodic crystals are identified as crucial but overlooked elements in complexity.
- These concepts offer a novel framework for analyzing the dynamics of complex systems.
- Their implications for cities reveal new perspectives on urban complexity.
Conclusions:
- The four concepts from "What is Life?" provide valuable insights into the fundamental principles governing complex systems.
- Integrating these concepts can enhance our understanding of system dynamics, organization, and evolution.
- Cities, as complex systems, can be better understood through the lens of these biophysical principles.
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