Madras Complexity Collective

In this discussion, Prof. Samir Okasha discusses his work on philosophy of biology, especially related to the question of ‘levels of selection’ in evolutionary biology. We discuss the implication of levels of selection in evolution, focusing on emergence, modelling approaches and empirical hypotheses. We also discuss the implications of this work on…

What is Emergence? How does consciousness arise from the interactions of simple neurons? How do thousands of starlings move as one in breathtaking murmurations, or schools of fish twist and turn in perfect synchronization? What transforms individual water molecules into the turbulent flow of a river? How do patterns of residential segregation emerge from…

Science of Cities Discussion Series: Luís M. A. Bettencourt on Science of Cities and Urban Scaling.

Science of Cities Discussion Series: Scaling in Indian Cities

In this discussion, Prof. Peggy Mohan discusses her work in developing a framework to understand the evolution of Indian languages. We talk about the relevance of migration, power structures, and the differences in ‘elite’ and ‘common’ that characterize the emergence of languages; of ideas such as punctuated equilibrium and diversity in informing…

In this discussion, Prof. Mustapha Ben Hamouche discusses his work in studying and characterizing the design of cities in North Africa and how the features of Islamic law and local traditions have led to the emergence of strikingly fractal patterns, which are in contrast to Western cities.

In this discussion, we explore the work of Prof. Kirti Trivedi on the fractal nature of Hindu temple architecture. We discuss how the striking design features of temples are a result of algorithms involving self-similarity and iteration, hallmarks of complexity. Kirti also brings out how these design processes are linked to deeper Indian philosophical…

Science of Cities Discussion Series: Gang Xu on the Chinese City System.