Topic: | Re:Re:Importance of Emergence |
Posted by: | nj |
Date/Time: | 05/02/2004 05:28:35 |
Hi, Todd. 1. You wrote, "So... The birds individually have no intention to fly aerobatically as a group, yet they do." Suppose you were an observer who needed an explanation for the phenomenon in which all birds fly at the same rate, and keep the same distance from each other, and execute acrobatic flying. You approach a computer scientist, and you present your need for an explanation. Your question is, "Why do birds fly together in a group?" You want an explanation, and you want the explainer to satisfy the instructions, 1. assume that each bird does not intend to work together with the rest of the group when the group executes acrobatic flying. 2. assume that no bird has a reason to execute an acrobatic manuever as an individual. 3. assume that no bird has a reason to execute an acrobatic manuever in response to his environment. 4 assume that no bird is literally forced by its environment to execute an acrobatic manuever. 5. create a mathematical model, in a computer program, that describes how the birds can fly in a group. The computer scientist goes to work on the problem, and when she's done, presents you with her explanation; it's the computer program you described. Her explanation of the phenomena, in terms of emergent behavior, served your instructions. How were the instructions? -nj |