Research ArticleInformation Characteristics, Processes, and Mechanisms ofSelf-Organization Evolution

Kun Wu 1,2 and Qiong Nan 3

1School of Humanities and Social Science of Xi’an Jiaotong University,International Center of Philosophy of Information of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China2Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28, Xianning West Road, Xi’an, Shannxi 710049, China3School of Humanities and Social Science of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China

Correspondence should be addressed to Kun Wu; wukun@mail.xjtu.edu.cn and Qiong Nan; nanqiong0418@126.com

Received 13 June 2019; Accepted 7 September 2019; Published 21 October 2019

Academic Editor: Quanmin Zhu

Copyright © 2019 Kun Wu and Qiong Nan. �is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionLicense, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Self-organization is a general mechanism for the creation of new structural pattern of systems. A pattern, in essence, is a re-lationship, an architecture, a way of organizing, and a structure of order, which can only be explained by information activities.�e characteristics of self-organization behavior, such as openness, nonlinearity, inner randomness, inner feedback, informationnetwork, and holographic construction, provide corresponding conditions and basis for the self-organizing evolution of thesystem from the aspects of environmental information function, maintenance and construction of the overall informationframework of the system, and exploration of new informationmode of the system. Based on the general process andmechanism ofself-organization system evolution, its corresponding basic stages have the signi�cance and value of information activities.Generally speaking, the process of system elements di�erentiating from the original system is the decoupling of informationassociation between relevant elements and original systems. �e convergence process of forming system elements is the initialexploration of forming a new information model; the nucleation process of some initial stabilization modes is the creation ofinformation codons; the development of the system according to a particular pattern is ergodic construction of informationfeedback chain indicated by information codon; the di�usion of system self-replication is the expansion of the quantity of theinformation model; the variation in system self-replication is the innovation process of introducing new information pattern;environment-based selection and evolution correspond to the complex development of information pattern; and the alternationof old and new structures in system evolution corresponds to the formation process of the whole information network frameworkof the new system. In order to explain the self-organization’s characteristics, processes, and mechanisms of system evolution at amore comprehensive level, the complexity research programmust pay enough attention to and give due status to the informationfactors and information science creed. Moreover, the information science research creed may also provide some basic theoreticalparadigms with core theoretical signi�cance for complex system research.

1. Introduction

With the rise of the science group of complex informationsystem since the middle of the 20th century, especially theemergence and development of dissipative structure theory,synergetics, catastrophe theory, hypercycle theory, fractaltheory, chaos theory, holographic theory, generalized evo-lutionary theory, and special complex system theory sincethe late 1960s, the theory of self-organization mechanism forthe formation and development of orderly patterns of open

system evolution has been revealed clearly. Moreover, thisevolutionary theory of self-organization has penetrated intoall �elds of natural, social, and thinking development andhas been used to explain a wide range of evolutionaryphenomena. For example, Dong and Fisher Stuart argue that“�e concept of self-organization has become increasinglyimportant for understanding ecosystem spatial heteroge-neity and its consequences. It is well accepted that ecosys-tems can self-organize, and that resulting spatial structurescarry functional con- sequences” [1] when they discuss the

HindawiComplexityVolume 2019, Article ID 5603685, 9 pageshttps://doi.org/10.1155/2019/5603685

problem of self-organization of ecological space; Weise usedself-organizing process to explain the law of economic de-velopment in evolution and self-organization: “If we defineeconomic as a socio-economic, irreversible, time-consumingprocess, in which an economy reproduces itself and varies itselements, we see that the principle of self-organization isresponsible for part of evolution. Self-organization processesthus constitute, destroy and re-constitute regularities ineconomic evolution” [2]. And Di Biase and Rocha usedinformation organization theory to solve the problem ofconsciousness: “It follows that a holoinformational and self-organizing theory, capable of integrating consciousness tothe non-local quantuminformational tessitura of the uni-verse, can solve the question of consciousness nature” [3]. Inaddition, the latest papers show that some scholars havestudied the process and characteristics of self-organizingbehavior in very specific problems such as robot [4] andcellular objective in Escherichia coli [5].

However, the paper focuses on the general informationcharacteristics, information processes, and informationmechanisms of system self-organization evolution in ageneral sense, rather than a detailed description and analysisof the self-organizing behavior of a particular system ordomain. 2erefore, the self-organized information charac-teristics, information processes, and information mecha-nisms described in this paper are applicable to almost allevolutionary mechanisms of general systems. 2erefore, it ishoped that those who study the self-organizing process of aparticular system will be more or less benefit from or in-spired by this article.

2. Organization, Self-Organization, andHetero-Organization

2.1. Organization. 2e concept of organization is the su-perordinate concept of the concept of self-organization.

In general, the concept of organization can be defined inboth static and dynamic senses.

2e concept of static organization refers to the orderedpattern of a system structure, which is equivalent to theorder, pattern, architecture, structure, and so on.

2e concept of dynamic organization refers to theprocess, approach, mechanism, and mode of the formationof an orderly structure of a system, which corresponds to theordering, structuring, ordering, organizing, and so on.

In the dynamic sense, the concept of organization can bedivided into self-organization and hetero-organization,which are defined according to the differences of the specificmechanism andmode of the generation of ordered structure.

2.2. Hetero-Organization. It can be defined as the process ofintroducing pattern information directly from outside thesystem and constructing system patterns according to thispattern. 2e key to understanding hetero-organizationconcept is that patterns are imported from the outside, notgenerated spontaneously from within the system, for ex-ample, the process in which workers work according to theexternal instructions issued by the foreman, leading to the

joint action of production; the crystals grow in accordancewith the mode of implanted embryos; the factory producesreplicative products in accordance with the introducedproduct model; and corresponding reforms are carried outaccording to the reform experience of existing precedents.

2.3. Self-Organization. Self-organization can be defined as aprocess in which the system spontaneously forms an internalorderly structure in an open context [6]. 2e key to un-derstanding the concept of self-organization is that patternsare generated internally and not imported from outside thesystem. In fact, the generation of any new ordered structurepattern is realized through self-organization. Self-organi-zation is the general mechanism for the creation of newmodels. For example, the production process of collectiveoperation of workers through active cooperation and tacitaction; the process of spontaneous generation of laser wavetrain in laser; the process by which living bodies constructtheir own flesh and blood bodies and organs by absorbingexternal materials and energy and creative reform processwithout precedent.

2.4. Unity of Self-Organization and Hetero-Organization.Both hetero-organization and self-organization are theprocess of the generation of the orderly structure of thesystem, and both of them depend on the openness of thesystem to the outside world. 2e difference between themlies only in the nature of external input factors. In the actualprocess of system evolution, there is no absolute boundarybetween hetero-organization and self-organization, andaccording to self-organization theory, two kinds of processescan be described from a unified point of view. In fact, theprocess of hetero-organization can be regarded as thereplication or diffusion of new patterns created in theprocess of self-organization; thus, the creation of a newordered structure of matter or information is a self-orga-nization process, and the hetero-organization process iscorrespondingly regarded as a necessary step for the dif-fusion or amplification of the self-organization process.Further, hetero-organization corresponds to the quantitativegrowth of the established pattern, and self-organizationcorresponds to the qualitative evolution of the creation ofthe new pattern.

2.5. Types of Self-Organization. On the basis of the types oforderly structures spontaneously formed by the system, theself-organization phenomenon can be divided into twotypes: spatial self-organization and temporal self-organiza-tion (or spatiotemporal self-organization).

2e phenomenon of spatial self-organization refers tothe orderly spatial structure formed spontaneously duringthe evolution of the system by means of self-organization.Typical physical experiments include hexagonal nestedhoneycomb structure and large rolling wave structureformed by Bernard convection, ordered light wave trainproduced by laser, etc.2ere is a very common phenomenonof spatial self-organization in nature and society such as the

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“cloud street” in the sky, the stratified color of geology, thecracking of dry land, the whirlpool in the river, the mode oforganism, the hierarchical structure of social groups, themode of human flow when entering or leaving a largeconference or performance, and the distribution of naturalvillages. Temporal self-organization (or spatiotemporal self-organization) refers to the phenomenon that the orderedspatial structure formed spontaneously during the evolutionof the system changes periodically with time through self-organization. Typical experiments are chemical clocks,chemical waves, and chemical helices. 2ere is also a verycommon phenomenon of temporal self-organization (orspatiotemporal self-organization) in nature and society, suchas the periodic change of sunspot; the periodic oscillation ofthe number of predators and prey in the ecosystem withtime; the alternating cycle of the Earth’s four seasons climate;the phenomenon of human biological clock; the periodicfluctuation of economic prosperity and recession; the al-ternating movement of stock market appreciation and de-cline; the beating of animal heart; the fluctuation ofpsychological activity; and the relaxation of mental state.

2.6. Essence of Self-Organization. In the sense that self-or-ganization is a qualitative evolutionary process of creation ofnew patterns (spatial, temporal, or functional), it is clearlyimpossible to explain self-organization in terms of purematter (mass) or energy activities. System models are notsimply defined by factors such as mass or energy. A pattern isessentially a relationship, an architecture, a way of organi-zation, a structure of order, and such things as a relationship,an architecture, a way of organization, and a structure oforder can only be explained by information activities. Here,activities such as quality or energy are only the carrier formof information activities. 2e holistic system science pro-gram emphasizes that the system is the relationship betweenelements or that the system is the relevant provisions of thenetwork of relationships. From the point of view, the specificmechanism of the existence and evolution of the systemcannot be clearly explained only by the activities of mass orenergy.

3. Information Characteristics of Self-Organization Activities

2e literature on self-organization theory describes the basiccharacteristics of self-organization system in many aspects,including dynamics, openness, nonlinearity, randomness,and complexity. However, due to the lack of informationdimension investigation in relevant descriptions, it is dif-ficult to carry out in-depth research. Although many re-searchers have noticed the key role of the informationfactors in the research of self-organizing systems, most oftheir studies are still specific descriptions of individual self-organizing activities, which are lacking an abstract expla-nation of the general characteristics and mechanisms of self-organizing systems: Polani et al. pointed out clearly in thestudy of guided self-organization theory (GSO) that: “One ofthese themes is the role of information (understood as

Shannon information, i.e., “reduction in uncertainty”) inguiding a self-organizing process. In particular, a lot ofprogress has been achieved in studying various aspects ofinformation structure and information processing duringself-organization of behavior (molecular, neural, cognitive,social, etc.).” However, their articles still focus on self-or-ganizing activities in specific areas such as the nervoussystem, biological system, and social system [7].

In addition, it is also worth mentioning the work of thefounder of synergetics, Haken, who is still very diligent inthinking and writing, despite his advanced age. In recentyears, he has published several articles: “Self-organisationand information in biosystems: a case study [8],” “ WaterFreeman and Some 2oughts on Brain Dynamics [9], ”“Information adaptation in urban design [10],” “In-formation and self-organization [11],” “Information andself-organization: a unifying approach and applications [12], ”and in these articles, he not only makes a case study of therelationship between specific self-organizing systems such asbiological systems, brain dynamic systems, urban designsystems and information but also conducted an in-depthdiscussion on the relationship between information and self-organization. However, he explained the self-organizationprocess mainly based on the level of information science, suchas Shannon’s grammatical information theory and otherscholars’ relevant semantic information and informationscience of pragmatic information. 2is kind of scientific in-vestigation inevitably has its limitations. 2e philosophy ofinformation has reexamined and explained the basic char-acteristics of self-organization process from the perspective ofinformation activities so that we can grasp the essence of self-organization phenomenon more deeply.

2e philosophy of information created by Professor Wuestablishes the ontological status of information on theontological level of philosophy on the basis of combining therelevant modern scientific achievements of complex in-formation system theory with the creative interpretation ofthe problem of “existence” of philosophy. And his definitionof information is “Information is a philosophical categoryindicating indirect being. It is the self- manifestation of theexisting mode and status of matter (direct being)” [13]. Oneof the core values of this definition is to establish the dualexistence of matter information of the whole world and allthings in the world. It is in the sense of dual existence ofmaterial information that we can say that system evolution isnot only a material behavior but also an information be-havior, and material system can be interpreted from theperspective of information system. Both the characteristicsand evolution of self-organizing systems have “informationcharacteristics.” 2is is the basic connotation of “in-formation characteristics” of the evolution of self-organizingsystems.

3.1. Preservation of Dynamics and InformationModel and theConstruction of Complex Reorganization. 2e related self-organization theory distinguishes two kinds of orderedstructures: one is static, such as the lattice pattern (micro-scopic particles are arranged in a statically ordered space),

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which is called “dead structure” by Haken; the other kind isdynamic, which is characterized by that the macroscopicordered structure of the system is maintained by themovement or continuous replacement of the microscopicparticles that make up the system. Self-organization is adynamic and orderly structure. 2e so-called self-organi-zation phenomenon is the orderly structure of the wholesystem which is maintained or developed in the continuoustransformation of the fabric elements. For example, thevortex in the river, the Benard flow, and the pattern ofhuman body are constantly changing and replacing themicroscopic components, while the macroscopic overallpattern is relatively stable and unchanged.

Dynamic order is concerned with the maintenance orgrowth of the orderly global information structure (pattern).As for the flow or substitution of micro mass energy, it isonly the form of carrier movement that ensures themaintenance or growth of the orderly global informationstructure (pattern). Here, the order pattern emphasized byself-organization can only be established in the sense ofstable maintenance or complex evolution of informationactivity pattern. Order is a framework for encoding in-formation. 2e maintenance of ordered structure is relativeto the stability of specific information coding architecture. Indynamic order, the aspect that marks the essential invarianceof a system is neither the quality nor the energy of thesystem. 2e quality and energy of the system are alwaysflowing and changing, and only the architecture of thecorresponding order of specific information coding is thesign of the nature of the system, because only this archi-tecture is stable. A complex evolution of an orderedstructure is a complex reorganization or construction rel-ative to a specific information coding framework (moreorderly new structure generated), the degree of system self-organization growth and the increase of the complexity, thatis, transitional evolution from an ordered state to a moreordered state are based on the complex reorganization orconstruction of a specific information coding framework. Asfor the activities of quality or energy exchanged within thesystem or with its environment, they are organized throughthe complex reorganization or construction of this particularinformation coding framework, or the former is in-corporated into the orderly mode construction process ofthe latter and adopts a unified and coordinated mode ofoperation subordinated to the latter (Haken language). Onlyby understanding the essence of self-organization from sucha level can we accurately grasp the significance of Haken’sorder parameter and Eigen’s hypercyclic framework theory.

3.2. Necessity of Appropriate Openness and the Role of Envi-ronmental Information in Self-Organization Evolution.2e orderly structure of self-organization can only beformed and maintained by absorbing material (mass), en-ergy, and information from the outside world. For example,Bernard convection is generated in the process of absorbingheat from the outside world. Chemical oscillations can onlybe maintained with the constant addition of chemical re-actants; once the addition process stops, the oscillations will

gradually decline and eventually lead to an equilibrium stateof uniform mixing. On the contrary, static ordered struc-tures like crystals are often formed in the process of releasingenergy to the environment and can maintain their ownstability under relatively isolated conditions. According tothe relevant principles of dissipative structure theory, theappropriate degree of openness is a necessary condition forthe external environment to impose nonequilibrium con-straints on the system. Constraint refers to the continuouseffect of the environment on the system, which is differentfrom the instantaneous external disturbance, and the con-straint will inevitably cause the response or response of thesystem, which is adaptation. Only in the state of adapting toconstraints can the system maintain or form a stablemacrostructure. When the external constraints change andthe original state of the system no longer adapts, the systembegins to seek a new state to adapt to the changed con-straints. 2e system adapted to zero constraint is a macro-disordered equilibrium state, and only the system adapted tothe appropriate strong constraint can form a stable macro-ordered structure. 2e constraints imposed by the externalenvironment on the system and its impact on the structuralchanges of the system are not only at the material-energylevel but also at the information level. “At the formation of astationary dissipative structure, the production of in-formation in the process of structuring attains a maximum,so that structuring is the process of producing and mate-rializing information” [14].

Here, on the one hand, appropriate openness refers tothe nature of the role introduced from the environment (thenature of this role must be able to resist the entropy gen-erated spontaneously within the system) and, on the otherhand, refers to the degree of openness, that is, the relevantrole introduced must be strong enough (its dosage must beequal to or exceed the amount of entropy generatedspontaneously within the system). When they are equal, themacro-ordered structure of the system remains unchanged;when the amount exceeds the amount of entropy sponta-neously generated in the system, the system will increase itsordered degree. In this regard, the relevant evolutionarytheory emphasizes the unity of quality and quantity of theopen conditions for evolutionary behavior.

2e exchange between open system and environment isnot only about mass or energy but also about the nature ofmass energy, the structure of order of mass energy, thedegree of organization of mass energy, and the nature, way,and mode of their matching, interaction, and influence withthe existing structure of order of mass and energy within thesystem, and the order of organization. Such as the structureof order, the order of organization, and the ways and meansof mutual matching, function and influence can only beestablished in the sense of information activities. Accordingto “the principle of the increase of entropy (the second law ofthermodynamics)” of Clausius, under isolated conditions,the system always evolves in the direction of entropy in-crease of disorder and tissue degradation. 2e quantitymeasured by entropy here is not about quality or energy, butabout the mode of order formed by mass energy (elements),the structure of relations, the order of organization, and the

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degree of unity and coordination of the mode of mass-energy operation.

I. llyaPrigogine extended the second law of thermody-namics to open systems and established the generalizedsecond law of thermodynamics accordingly. According to I.llyaPrigogine, under the open background, the system in-troduces the “external entropy flow” from the environment,which may lead to the complexity of the entropy changebehavior of the system. If the property of the “externalentropy flow” is contrary to the property of the “internalentropy change” spontaneously generated by the system,that is, the entropy with a negative sign, and when theabsolute quantity of the “external entropy flow” is greaterthan the absolute quantity of the “internal entropy change,”the system will evolve along the orderly entropy decreasedirection, which is the occurrence of the self-organizationevolution event in the general sense.

In his famous book “What is Life?” published in 1944,Schrodinger not only put forward the idea that life dependson “genetic code” but also put forward the famous con-clusion that “life depends on negative entropy for food” [15].In the book, Schrodinger emphasized that the way in whichliving organisms avoid decline does not depend on theamount of substances (mass) and energy they absorb fromthe environment, but on the negative entropy carried bythese substances (mass) and energy carriers (factors contraryto the increasing trend of spontaneous entropy in the body),i.e., structure, order, and organization.

Obviously, neither I.llyaPrigogine’s “external entropyflow” nor Schrodinger’s “life depends on negative entropyfor food” can be explained simply by factors like mass andenergy, but only in the sense of information activities.

3.3. Nonlinearity and the Overall Information Architecture ofthe System. In all disordered systems and static orderedsystems, the interaction between microscopic particles is“short-range,” random, and noncooperative, that is, the in-teraction only occurs between each particle and its distance ismicroscopic. In the self-organization system, the interactionbetween microparticles is “long-range,” that is, a largenumber of microparticles act in concert to form a wholenonlinear stable model, resulting in macroscopic observableresults. 2e same is true for Benard convection and chemicalclocks. Systems such as living organisms and societies areconsidered self-organizing because they are dynamic, open,and nonlinear. For example, organisms are orderly structuresformed and maintained by constantly entering and dis-charging substances (mass), energy, and information, whichare commonly referred to as metabolism. Cells and organs invivo are long-range coherent patterns of biological macro-molecules. In human society, families, communities, enter-prises, governments, and countries are orderly structuresformed by means of long-range communication. 2ey gen-erally do not change with the flow of their members andconstantly exchange materials (mass), energy, and in-formation with the environment. In different self-organiza-tion systems, although the relative scope of macro and microis different, the meaning of unity does not change.

In fact, the internal operationmechanism of nonlinear orlong-range coherence emphasized by self-organizationtheory is not only for the internal mass and energy of thesystem but also for the mutual matching, combination, andunified operation mode of mass and energy, as well as theoverall structure, order and pattern formed. Here, non-linearity and long-range coherence are the ways of co-ordination and cooperation between the elementsemphasized by Hacken. Based on this understanding, we saythat the essence of nonlinearity or long-range coherence isnot determined by the quality or energy of the system itself,but by the approach, way, order, and mode of organizing thecorresponding mass or energy, which is the existence in theframework of the overall information model of a system.

3.4. Internal Randomness and the Evolution of the OverallInformation Model of the System. 2ere are two kinds ofrandomness: external randomness and internal randomness.External randomness refers to the randomness generated bythe interference of the external environment, which reflectsthe influence of the random uncertainty of the externalenvironment on the system motion. Internal randomnessrefers to the inherent randomness in the system itself, whichis generated spontaneously within the system. Chaos theoryreveals that as long as the deterministic system has a slightlycomplex nonlinear, internal randomness will be generatedwithin a certain range of external control parameters.2erefore, the movement mode of the future evolution of thesystem triggered by internal randomness of the class will berandom bifurcation, irregular, aperiodic, and extremelycomplex. Even if the initial conditions and external controlparameters have been determined, the future evolutionmode of the system is still inconclusive. 2e internal ran-domness caused by nonlinearity leads to the diversity, un-certainty, and complexity of the ordered evolution directionand mode of self-organization systems.

2e generation of internal randomness in the system iscaused by the independent movement of the elements thatmake up the system and the random interaction among theelements and between the elements and the whole systembased on the independent movement. 2erefore, the gen-eration of inner randomness is actually rooted in thecomplexity of random variation of microelements. 2ereason why the system evolution is sensitive to the initialvalue (butterfly effect) according to Chaos theory is rooted inthe variable complexity of microfactors because, even if theinitial value measured is identical. However, since the ele-ments that constitute the system itself have the variability of“free will” (active elements), the system will also produce thedifferences in intrinsic conditions (Independent un-certainty) that can cause changes in sensitivity in the evo-lution of the subsequent, which leads to the future evolutionpattern of diversity and complexity.

2e complexity of random variability of microelementsis determined by the multilevel structure of the system. Infact, the elements are only specified at a specific level of thesystem. At a more microscopic level, the elements them-selves are a system, and the elements also have their ownelements, which are also relational networks of a specific

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information framework. In this way, the elements have theoverall property relative to their internal structure, and theinteraction between the internal structures will also cause thecorresponding change or disturbance of the integrity of theelements and further affect the way in which it interacts withelements and the way in which elements interact withsystems at the upper level. Such influences constitute theautonomous uncertainty of the above factors and the oc-currence of random behaviors within the system. In thesense of information activities, the autonomous uncertaintyof these elements and the internal randomness of the systemare constructive activities in exploring new informationframeworks and patterns, especially at the critical point ofinformation pattern replacement of self-organizing evolu-tion of the system, such random exploratory behavior maybecome a mechanism for selecting future evolution patternsand directions of the system.

3.5. Internal Feedback, Information Network, and Holo-graphic Constructiveness. Feedback is the transmission andreturn of information, and the key to its meaning is “return.”Cybernetics reveals that a complete control process isachieved through feedback of information. Relative to thebehavior of a system, feedback can be divided into two typesaccording to the scope of feedback: external feedback andinternal feedback. External feedback refers to the fact thatthe information function of the system to the environmentwill change the environment, which in turn affects the be-havior of the system. Internal feedback refers to the in-formation feedback loop formed by the interaction betweenthe elements within the system and between the elementsand the whole system. In fact, any interaction is maintainedby an information feedback loop.

2e autonomous movement of system elements and therandom interaction between elements and between the el-ements and the whole system will inevitably lead to mul-tilevel, multidirectional, and complex internal feedbackloop. It is precisely the holistic information network systemformed by the further interlocking activities of many levelsand complex internal feedback loops that constitutes themechanism of the whole nonlinear interaction within thesystem. It is also in the sense of this particular informationnetwork system that the holistic nature of the system isjustified to be regarded as a specific relationship network. Itis the whole information network system including multi-level and complex internal feedback loop that leads to thewhole coexistence and covariance of the internal elements ofthe system, the microdynamics and uncertainty of the op-eration mechanism, and the two-way construction andtranscendence of two-way new quality of system and ele-ments [16]. It is also the holographic mapping and con-struction of the whole new quality of the system.

3.6. Complexity and Information Science Creed [17].Complexity research creed is a more overall and compre-hensive scientific research creed. Complexity research creedemphasizes the internal randomness of the system, theautonomy of the elements, and the interdependent and

relatively independent characteristics of the system and theelements, the system and the environment, further di-alectically unifying reductionism and holism (emergencetheory), determinism and nondeterminism, internal ran-domness and external randomness, internal and externalfeedback, elements and the overall relationship network,quality-energy factors, and information factors.

In fact, the complexity research creed can give a com-prehensive and overall description of the self-organizationcharacteristics and mechanism of system evolution. Com-bined with the characteristics of the five aspects mentionedabove, we can clearly see that complexity is a more essentialand basic characteristic of self-organization behavior, whichis built on the organic synthesis of many other basiccharacteristics of self-organization behavior.

Because of its unique position and role in the devel-opment of contemporary science and the irreplaceability ofits new research perspectives, the complexity research creedmust pay enough attention to the information science re-search creed. Moreover, from the above self-organizingcharacteristics of the meaning of information activities, wecan clearly see that information activities themselves are verycomplex. 2erefore, it is reasonable to say that the researchcreed of information science may provide some of the mostfundamental and core theoretical paradigms for the researchof complex systems.

4. Information Processes and Mechanisms ofSelf-Organization Behavior

Generally speaking, the creation and evolution of a par-ticular system generally need to go through several links,such as differentiation, convergence, nucleation, develop-ment, replication, diffusion, mutation, selection, evolution,and destruction. If the internal mechanism of these links isdiscussed from the scale of information activities, it will bepossible to reveal the general mechanism of organizationalbehavior more deeply.

4.1. Differentiation and the Decoupling of Information Rele-vance of theOriginal Systems. 2is is an evolutionary processin which the components (elements) of a new system are freefrom the constraints of the original system. 2e process canbe regarded as the information coding framework of theoriginal system, the instability of various internal and ex-ternal feedback loops, and the decoupling process ofdeconstructed information correlation under the action ofspecific environmental information. Moreover, the processcan correspond to the self-destruction process of extremedegradation evolution of the original system, as well as thequality-energy spilt or external release of some elementscaused by the internal and external interaction of somesystems that destabilize the original structure. Differentia-tion and evolution provide possible preconditions for theself-organizing creation of subsequent new systems.

4.2.Convergence andExplorationofNew InformationPattern.It is an evolutionary process in which the differentiatedcomponents gather to a certain abundance, compete with

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each other or attract each other, and further differentiate orcluster on this basis. 2e process can be seen as a tentativeestablishment process of new information coding frame-work patterns, various possible information coding frame-work patterns, and corresponding internal and externalfeedback loops under the influence of specific environmentalinformation.

4.3.NucleationandGenerationof InformationCodon. It is anevolutionary process in which one or several informationarchitectures formed in the convergence process are stabi-lized and play a central role in attracting and providinginformation templates for the specific construction of theoverall order mode of the new system. And the process canbe regarded as the initial indicator or the initial informationcodon creation process to form the overall ordered in-formation coding framework pattern of the new system. Onthe one hand, the initial process of information codoncreation depends on the nature and intensity of relevantconstraints provided by the appropriate external environ-ment. On the other hand, it depends on the independentrandom activities of the relevant parts or components andthe random interaction between the relevant parts orcomponents that have been previously aggregated in thesystem. It is in this kind of exploratory activity that therelatively stable information feedback chain pattern may beformed locally, thus becoming the initial information codonof the whole orderly structure construction of the system. Ifthere is more than one type of information codon initiallyformed, then competition will take place among multipleinitial information codons, and the result may be that onlyone kind of information codon is preserved and developed,while other kinds of information codonmay disappear in thecompetition or may form synergistic effect among manykinds of information codon, thus establishing a more stableinformation feedback chain model framework on a macroscale. For example, the hexagonal pattern presented byBernard convection is supported by three information co-dons (corresponding to the three edges of each triangle inthe six triangles divided by the hexagons). If the system isheated continuously, when a new threshold is reached, thehexagonal pattern of the Bernard flow will be transformedinto a large roll structure, at which time there is only oneinformation codon that determines the large roll structure.2e few information codons that can indicate the overallbehavior of the system are called “slow mode” or “orderedmode” by Harken, the founder of synergetics. 2e corre-sponding evolution equation containing only a few slowmodes is called the “order parameter equation,” while thevariables representing the slow modes in the equation arecalled the “slow variable” or “order parameter”correspondingly.

4.4. Development and Ergodicity Construction of InformationFeedback Links Indicated by Information Codons. It is anevolutionary process in which the global stable structuralframework is further grown or developed in accordance withthe established template of the nucleus as the center of

attraction for the new system.2e process can be regarded asthe process of expanding or expressing the informationcoding framework of the new system by the informationprogram specified by the initial information codon. On theone hand, the process of constructing the system’s overallorderly stable structure mode depends on the stable andcontinuous existence of appropriate external constraintconditions; on the other hand, it depends on the ergodicestablishment of relevant information feedback links amongvarious elements within the system. It is precisely the er-godicity of the corresponding information feedback chainthat leads to the adoption of a unified overall coordination orsynchronized cooperation among various elements of thesystem in accordance with the pattern indicated by the“core” which has already formed, which is the overallsynergistic effect of “model-following coordination” em-phasized by Haken.

4.5. Replication, Diffusion, and Extension of the Quantity ofInformation Pattern. 2is is an evolutionary process inwhich a system manufactures the same system according toits own pattern, and it is a general evolutionary mode inwhich the phenomena of life are inherited.2e process is theinformation coding framework of the system, through thelink of self-replication of information, to maintain andcontinue its own information pattern and further expand itsown information pattern in quantity. It is through self-replication that the initial structure of life, which acciden-tally arises in the random process, acquires the constantmultiplication and diffusion of the quantity of “Once cre-ated, it lasts forever” (Eigen). Milenkovic and Vasic said “Agene regulatory network describes a natural iterativelydecodable code with the function of both adapting the cell toits surrounding and enabling accurate replication of geneticinformation” [18].

4.6. Variation and Innovation of Information Pattern. It is anew mode that is not exactly the same as the copied modedue to errors in the replication process, that is, the evolutionprocess of the generation of the new system. 2e processcorresponds to the information activity process in which theoriginal information coding framework is changed and thenew information coding framework is created by copyingerrors. 2e inducement of variation may come from theaccidental stimulus of external randomness provided by theenvironment or from internal randomness inherent in thesystem. Due to the existence of internal randomness, vari-ation will be an inevitable phenomenon in biological evo-lution. According to the results of related research, themutation rate at the level of life gene has approached aconstant for millions of years. It is precisely the inherentrandomness within the genetic structure of life that canreasonably explain this phenomenon.

4.7. Selection, Evolution, and Complex Development of In-formation Pattern. As long as the new model created is noteliminated in the competition with the original model, it

Complexity 7

may develop by the choice of the environment or developindependently in parallel with the old model or replace theold model to occupy a dominant position in development orsupport and coordinate with the old model to form a morestable and large-scale new system. 2is evolutionary processconstitutes what is commonly referred to as orderly andcomplex evolutionary events.What makes this process go onsmoothly is the selection of appropriate environmentalinformation on the corresponding information codingframework. “Survival of the fittest” promotes evolution atthe level of information mode selection.

4.8. Alternation of Old and New Architectures and Formationof New System Integral Information Network Architecture.In the process of natural evolution, there may be an evo-lution process of alternating old and new structures in thesame system. If the new structure is more orderly than theold structure, it will be the evolution of the system; other-wise, it will be the degradation of the system. Generallyspeaking, once the overall structure of the system isestablished, it tends to maintain stability, which is the“inertia” of the general system. But “inertia” is a conservativetendency that hinders evolution. In order to evolve, thesystem must first break the “inertia,” which means that theoriginal structure must be destabilized. 2at is why Hakenemphasized the important role of instability in the orderlyevolution of a system. In order to destabilize the originalstructure of the system, the system must have some novelmechanism. Specifically, the reasons for the instability of theoriginal structure and the search for a new structural modeof the system are generally from three aspects: first, thechange of the original relatively stable external environment;second, the influence of accidental external randomness(external fluctuation); third, accidental effects of random-ness (internal fluctuations) within a system. Generally, dueto the change of the external environment, the systemstructure that adapts to the original external environmentconstraints can no longer adapt to the new external envi-ronment constraints, so the original system structure will beunstable. However, the instability of the old structure to theestablishment of the new structure depends on the explo-ration of a new structure, and the power to explore the newstructure comes from the accidental external or internalrandomness, or the interaction of internal and externalrandomness. Due to the bifurcation of the path of systemconstruction, the interaction of inner and outer randomnessis the key factor to explore and select the new structure. 2isis the self-organization theory emphasizes that “fluctuationis the power of systematic orderly evolution.” Although thenew structure is selected by random exploration, whetherthe new structure can be stable or survive for a long timedepends on the adaptability of the new structure to theexternal environment. 2erefore, the stable and open en-vironmental background conditions become the selectionfactor of whether the new structure can survive stably. 2eprinciples of openness, “survival of the fittest,” and “elim-ination of inferior” are all established in the sense of theunity of the choice (restraint) of the environment to the

system and the adaptation of the system to the environment.2erefore, the stability of the overall orderly structure of anysystem depends not only on the overall information networkframework formed by the internal multilevel and complexinformation feedback loop but also on the support of themultiple and complex information feedback loop and relatedinformation network formed between the informationnetwork framework and the suitable open external envi-ronment conditions.

Data Availability

2e data used to support the findings of this study areavailable from the corresponding author upon request.

Conflicts of Interest

2e authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

References

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[2] P. Weise, “Evolution and self-organization,” Journal of in-stitutional and theoretical economics (JITE)/Zeitschrift fur diegesamte Staatswissenschaft, vol. 152, pp. 716–722, 1996.

[3] F. Di Biase and M. S. F. Rocha, “Information self-organizationand consciousness–towards a holoinformational theory ofconsciousness,” World Futures, vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 309–327,1999.

[4] T. K. Kaiser and H. Hamann, “Self-assembly in patterns withminimal surprise: engineered self-organization and adapta-tion to the environment,” in Distributed Autonomous RoboticSystems. Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics,N. Correll, M. Schwager, and M. Otte, Eds., vol. 9, Springer,Cham, Switzerland, 2019.

[5] G. Y. Georgiev, T. Aho, J. Kesseli, O. Yli-Harja, andS. A. Kauffman, “Action and power efficiency in self-orga-nization: the case for growth efficiency as a cellular objective inEscherichia coli,” in Evolution, Development and Complexity.Springer Proceedings in Complexity, G. Georgiev, J. Smart,C. Flores Martinez et al., Eds., Springer, Cham, Switzerland,2019.

[6] H. Haken, Information and Self-Organization, Vol. 29,Sichuan Education Press, Sichuan, China, 1988.

[7] D. Polani, M. Prokopenko, and L. Yaeger, “Information andself-organization of behavior,” Advances in Complex Systems,vol. 16, no. 02n03, Article ID 1303001, 2013.

[8] H. Haken, “Self-organization and information in biosystems:a case study,” European Biophysics Journal, vol. 47, no. 4,pp. 389–393, 2018.

[9] H. Haken, “Walter Freeman and some thoughts on braindynamics,” Journal of Consciousness Studies, vol. 25, no. 2,pp. 33–38, 2018.

[10] J. Portugali and H. Haken, “Information adaptation in urbandesign,” in Proceedings of the Sixth International Conferenceon Spatial Cognition (ICSC), Rome, Italy, September 2015.

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8 Complexity

[13] K. Wu, Philosophy of Information—Geory, System andMethod, 2e Commercial Press, Beijing, China, 2005.

[14] V. B. Aleskovskii, “Information as a factor of self-organizationand organization of matter,” Russian Journal of GeneralChemistry, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 569–574, 2002.

[15] E. Schrodinger and R. Penrose, What is Life?, Vol. 18, HunanScience and Technology Publishing House, Xiangtan, China,2003.

[16] For a detailed discussion of “the two-way construction andtranscendence of two-way new quality of system and ele-ments”, please refer to: K. Wu, Z. Gong, Basis of SystemScience, Shaanxi Science and Technology Publishing House,Xi’an, China, 1996.

[17] For a more detailed discussion of the inherent consistencybetween the complexity research programme and the in-formation science research programme, please refer to: K.Wu,“Changes in complexity and scientific thinking mode,” Nat-ural Dialectics Research, vol. 18, pp. 46–49, 2002.

[18] O. Milenkovic and B. V. Vasic, “Information theory andcoding problems in genetics,” in Proceedings of theManufacturing Engineer, San Antonio, TX, USA, October2004.

Complexity 9

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