Tomas Veloz - Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana, Chile & Centre Leo Apostel, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Biography
Title: Modeling the Origins and Evolution of Goal-Directed Systems: A Reaction Network Approach
Abstract: Traditional approaches to modeling complex adaptive systems often struggle to adequately represent crucial systemic concepts such as emergence, autonomy, and purpose. In this talk, I will present a novel framework based on reaction network modeling that shifts the focus from static objects to dynamic processes of change, offering new insights into the origins and evolution of goal-directed systems.
Building on the foundational concept of autopoiesis—the self-maintaining and self-reproducing nature of living systems—this approach leverages chemical organization theory to formalize key ideas around agency, autonomy, and purpose in general systems. I will explain the basics of this framework, scope its applicability, and trace a modeling roadmap from basic self-maintenance to purposeful collective intelligence.
In particular, I will focus on the computation of a hierarchy of autopoietic systems from a general reaction network, and how to study the evolution of complexity/goals in this setting, as well as introducing concepts that link the behavior of the system with its cognitive-like capabilities. Additionally, I will show some modeling examples built on a library currently under development.
