Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity

Although the order in "Hidden Order" may seem hidden before you read this book, it won't by the time you finish it.Many books on fashionable current topics like complexity theory and complex adaptive systems are very lively in expressing the potentials of the field. This one isn't. Most books in these fields are either way over the heads of non-mathematicians, or just recount the story of the origin of the field. This one is extremely modest and understated, but has the special merit of explaining the basic principles of complex adaptive systems in a way that any attentive reader can understand completely. It doesn't dwell on non-linearity, it just mentions it as one of the important principles that characterizes complex systems. This stands out as not only an exceptionally clear description of the basic principles with simple understandable examples, but also a surprisingly dull read if you're used to popular accounts rather than texts. Going from the popular accounts of Chaos and Complexity Theory to this is a little like spending months reading Dr. Seuss' charmingly excessive rhymes, and then going back to "See Spot Run." So it would be easy to miss what is so great about this book, that it actually makes the underlying principles of complex adaptive systems accessible to virtually anyone. Without the fanfare, without the hype, without the flashy graphics, Holland describes step by clear step how agents interacting with each other in certain ways that reflect 7 general principles end up organizing themselves into systems with their own properties. Holland does not spend much time on thinking of applications for complex adaptive system models, he makes a brief, almost off-handed mention of the possibility of locating "lever points" where small strategic changes can make useful large changes to huge complex systems in real life, and the proceeds to describe his 7 principles. This is followed by a more detailed discussion of the agents themselves that compose adaptive systems, and finally some discussion of ECHO, a class of models that illustrates Holland's application of the principles.There is no mystical reverence for emergence here, or any questionable speculations, this is a conceptual introduction you can can use to get a solid background, and then form your own opinions about the topic and its implications, and go on to read the more advanced books on complexity and systems thinking.This is probably not a book that will inspire you about the importance of the potential implications of the field (which are great), unless you tend to get excited reading about rules and algorithms. It is a book that rather matter-of-factly describes what may well turn out to be the underlying structure of a myriad complex systems in nature, including ourselves and our social organizations. "What enables cities to retain their coherence despite continual disruptions and a lack of central planning ?" he asks on the first page of the first chapter.

Dr. Holland is a truly remarkable person. After creating the study of genetic algorithms he has gone on to further investigate concepts like complex adaptive systems. This book is an amazing look into his mind and an examination of some interesting theories on complexity science. He provides here a proposal for research and lays down a theoretical framework that can be used to examine questions like emergence and agent interaction. A must read for anyone interested in these questions. It is important to remember that this is an introductory text meant to be read by the general public. If you want more detailed looks into Dr. Holland's work I reccomend any number of his articles as well as his landmark treatise Adaption in Natural and Artificial Systems. The monograph that founded the study of genetic algorithms and was a major contribution to the study of evolutionary programming. Overall this book is rich with much insight and has many exciting ideas for possible research.

John Holland's work "Hidden Order" is a treatise from the creator of the genetic algorithm on "Complex Adaptive Systems" or CAS. Holland explains in easy to understand language the concept of CAS, how one goes about designing them, and how one can use them to make observations about the universe. Holland is not well known to the general public, but his work in this field is ground breaking and of great importance, and carries on the tradition of logicians such as John von Neumann and Alan Turing. I would advise reading this book before moving on to his later work, "Emergence," as this gives one a sound basis in Holland's thought, and "Emergence" is a slightly more difficult read. A wonderful book.

There are several reasons why you might be reading reviews of Hidden Order: (1) perhaps you're wondering whether to get a book on complexity; or (2) perhaps you've decided that you want such a book, and are wondering whether this is the one for you. In either case, it's probably best to start by relating the way in which Holland introduces his subject. He does so by remarking on the coherence of systems such as immune systems, ecosystems, and cities, despite the diversity of the agents that inhabit them. He refers to such systems as complex adaptive systems, or cas. Holland's primary objective is to present, to the general reader, theory to "separate fundamental characteristics [general principles of cas] from fascinating idiosyncrasies and incidental features [of particular cas]" (p. 5). This point is crucial if you're reading this review for reason (2) above, since it distinguishes Hidden Order from several other popular accounts of complexity. Holland's book is inter-disciplinary, and so contrasts with books such as Kauffman's At Home in the Universe, the main focus of which is on biology. If you're looking for an account of complexity located within a specific discipline, then, Hidden Order is not for you. Neither is for you if, at the same time as reading about complexity theory, you'd like to read about some of the people responsible for the theory. If you'd like biography mixed with your complexity, I'd advise you to try Waldrop's Complexity. Waldrop tells the story, not only of complexity theory, but also of the Sante Fe Institute and some of the people associated with it, including Holland and Kauffman. Holland describes cas very clearly, making excellent use of examples and figures. He describes Echo, a model he developed to allow computer simulations of cas. Holland is a computer scientist, but he does not pelt the reader with the jargon of his discipline; rather, his description of Echo serves the objective of identifying the characteristics that generalize across cas. I started by identifying reasons (1) and (2) why you might be reading this review. There are of course many other reasons, including: (3) perhaps you're a researcher pondering the applicability of complexity to your field. This is one of the reasons I read Hidden Order, and a few other books on complexity. If reason (3) describes you, then Hidden Order is the book I'd recommend starting with (but not finishing with), due to the clarity with which it presents the fundamentals of cas. Finally, you might be reading this because: (4) you've read Hidden Order, and are wondering how others rated it. As you can see, I rate it very highly.