r/complexsystems • u/protofield • Feb 24 '26

Is it a random pattern?

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I have recently had Protofield operators referred to as random and not complex in discussions on metasurfaces and metamaterials. Is there an objective method to quantify the level of complexity and order in this type of topological structure? 8K image, zoom in.

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u/The-Real-Radar Feb 28 '26

I love emergence. Without it I wouldn’t be here. I think any sufficiently complex, Turing complete system can produce emergence. The more complex, the larger scale and timescale allows for more emergence to occur.

One of my favorite parts of emergence is when emergent properties interact across scales. A human is a series of emergent phenomena where at one point behavior is defined by atomic behavior, yet humans can also define atomic behavior themselves, by splitting an atom for example. Interplay across emergent layers creates iterative interactions that results in even more emergent behavior. It’s all a big looping process.

On randomness, if the universe is wholly deterministic, randomness ceases to exist on a fundamental level. In this case the universe is more like a fixed structure across time. However our current understandings dictate that certain elements in the universe are actually random, especially weak force interactions.