Exploring the ideas related to the Free Energy Principle, organizations as self-organizing systems, and the broader implications for agency and responsibility involves a multidisciplinary field of researchers from cognitive science, systems theory, philosophy, and beyond. While Karl Friston’s work provides a foundational framework through the Free Energy Principle, several other researchers and thinkers are investigating related concepts, touching upon the nature of collective behavior, agency, and the organizational dynamics of complex systems. Here are a few notable figures:
Simon DeDeo
Simon DeDeo works at the intersection of complex systems, cognitive science, and social dynamics. His research often explores how large-scale social phenomena emerge from the interactions of individuals within a system, using tools from statistical physics and information theory. DeDeo’s work contributes to understanding the emergence of collective behaviors and the principles governing social organization and change.
Jessica Flack
Jessica Flack specializes in collective computation, information processing in complex systems, and the emergence of organizational complexity. Her research focuses on how biological and social systems process information to create order and predictability in their environments. Flack’s work is relevant for understanding how collectives maintain coherence and adapt to changes, resonating with concepts from the Free Energy Principle applied to social and biological systems.
Melanie Mitchell
Melanie Mitchell, a researcher in complex systems and artificial intelligence, explores how complexity emerges from simple rules and how systems organize and learn. Her work on analogical reasoning and complexity science contributes to the understanding of how collective intelligence emerges and how systems can adaptively navigate their environments.
Iain Couzin
Iain Couzin is a biologist known for his work on collective behavior in animal groups, such as fish schools and bird flocks. His research investigates how simple interactions between individuals can lead to complex group behaviors without a central control mechanism. Couzin’s work provides insights into the principles of self-organization that could be analogously applied to understanding human organizations and collectives.
Sara Walker
Sara Walker is a theoretical physicist and astrobiologist whose work focuses on the origins of life and the emergence of complexity in the universe. She investigates the informational architecture of biological systems and how life reflects a non-random organization of information. Walker’s research on the physics of information and the emergence of agency in biological systems touches on foundational questions related to the Free Energy Principle and the nature of self-organizing systems.
John Holland
John Holland was a pioneer in complex systems and evolutionary computation. Although he passed away, his work on adaptation in natural and artificial systems, agent-based models, and the mechanisms of complex adaptive systems continues to influence research on how systems organize, adapt, and evolve. Holland’s ideas on emergence and adaptation are crucial for understanding the dynamics of collective behavior and organization.
Deborah Gordon
Deborah Gordon is a biologist known for her work on ant colonies as models for understanding complex systems. Her research on how ant colonies organize without central control, make collective decisions, and adapt to changing environments offers compelling insights into decentralized organization and collective intelligence.
These researchers, among others, contribute to a growing body of work exploring the principles of organization, agency, and adaptation in complex systems, both natural and artificial. Their investigations provide valuable perspectives on the dynamics of collectives and the theoretical underpinnings of agency and responsibility in self-organizing systems.