Simplification Strategies

Abstract

In some contexts, complexity is a desirable property, i.e., we search, within given constraints, for systems with a high degree of complexity. Cryptography and the design of random number generators are two typical examples of such contexts. In some situations, a certain degree of complexity is a necessary condition for obtaining some specific systems properties, usually referred to as emergent properties. Self-reproduction, learning, and evolution are examples of such properties.

The Scientist, like the Pilgrim, must wend a straight and narrow path between the Pitfalls of Oversimplification and the Morass of Overcomplication

—Richard Bellman