The Complementary Nature Book

J. A. SCOTT KELSO & DAVID A. ENGSTRØM – have written The Complementary Nature to summarize their research plan. In this book, Kelso and Engstrøm contend that ubiquitous contraries are complementary and propose a comprehensive, empirically-based scientific theory of how the polarized world and the world in between can be reconciled. They nominate the squiggle (~), as the symbolic punctuation for reconciled complementary pairs. The book reconciles “the philosophy of complementary pairs” with the science of coordination dynamics.

As mentioned above, experiments and theory show that the human brain is capable of displaying two apparently contradictory, mutually exclusive behaviors–integration and segregation–at the same time. Coordination dynamics–a mathematically expressed theory that reconciles the scientific language of “states” with the novel dynamical language of “tendencies”–attests to the complementary nature inherent in human brains and behavior. It may explain, Kelso and Engstrøm argue, why we (and nature) appear to partition things, events, and ideas into pairs. This account is not just metaphorical; the reconciliations they describe are grounded in the principles and mathematical language of the theory of coordination dynamics. The Complementary Nature provides a clear-cut methodology for this evolving theory of brain and behavior that can also be applied to areas and developments outside the neurosciences, hence aiding reconciliations within and between disparate fields.

WHAT PROMPTED THE WRITING OF TCN?

The Complementary Nature (TCN) is the culmination and interpretation of a 25 year line of scientific research called “coordination dynamics” which was originally conceived of by Kelso and his team at the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, but is now pursued in many laboratories and institutions around the world. Coordination dynamics is a multidisciplinary approach that deals with informationally-based self-organizing dynamical systems , developed chiefly in the context of the cognitive, brain, behavioral and social sciences. The success of the conceptual and methodological paradigm has been quite impressive, and has expanded into many different areas of science. Feeling that the time was ripe for a general overview of the field, Kelso wrote Dynamic Patterns : The Self-Organization of Brain and behavior (MIT Press, 1995; pbk 1997), a slightly more technical book than TCN.

The other aspect of TCN is the result of a 15 year running dialogue between Kelso and Engstrøm on the prospects of a possible deep connection between complementary pairs and coordination dynamics. This dialogue is far from over… In 1991-93 and again in 1995-96, Engstrøm worked as a postdoctoral fellow of Kelso’s at the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences at Florida Atlantic University. The Coauthors are currently working on The Squiggle Sense book, and collaborating daily on The Squiggle Sense Blog you are now reading.

During his first tenure under the tutelage of Kelso, Engstrøm studied dynamical transitions between reaction and anticipation in human motor behavior using the theory and methodology of coordination dynamics. During this period, the authors noticed and became intrigued by the apparently frequent occurrence of complementary pairs in both the theory and experiments of coordination dynamics like reaction~anticipation, control parameter~coordination variable, individual~collective, cooperation~competition, stability~instability, qualitative~quantitative, linear~nonlinear, perception~action, etc.

The fascination wasn’t just the pairs of contraries themselves. Obviously those could be found in many disciplines tracing back through the history of ideas for thousands of years. After all, the yin~yang principle in Oriental philosophy and Dialectic of Occidental philosophy have been present for millenia. No, the interesting thing about them-the key-was that they were showing up in the middle of tenable, testable scientific research as observable phenomena. As such, these complementary pairs had clearly defined meanings in the context of the scientific theory and experimental paradigm. They wondered: could this be a window of opportunity, a means of understanding the contraries that at once have been so crucial to so many thinkers in as many philosophical traditions? From 1995 onward, Kelso and Engstrøm began to explore this question directly.

In another important development within this same 15 year time span, Kelso became aware through determined study and computer visualization of something that had been staring him in the face since 1990. At that time he and his colleagues had just introduced the so-called “broken symmetry version” of coordination dynamics, of which Kelso had developed with the eminent theoretical physicist Hermann Haken, the “father of laser theory”.

Kelso noticed that in the metastable regime of the coordination dynamics (meta = beyond) where there are no stable or unstable equilibria, there still remain coexisting tendencies, places where the parts of the system tend to coordinate as a collective unit at the same time as they do their own thing.

In a Nobel Symposium on Developmental Science in 1998, Kelso referred to this as “The Principle of the In-Between.” Since then there has been mounting evidence in the literature as well as many signs from the scientific community at large that the time has come to take this idea very seriously indeed. The time was ripe for the writing of TCN!

WHAT ARE THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF TCN?

In TCN we have a synopsis and interpretation of a scientific research program called coordination dynamics co-authored by a person who has done much to establish this field and the other an avid student and researcher of that same research program. Thus, the scientific information described in TCN is first hand . TCN reconciles philosophy with science, and calls for a long overdue reconciliation of different fields of endeavor. It provides a way for coordination dynamics to be generally applied to advance arbitrary fields, and for arbitrary fields to make basic discoveries that could be used to advance the science of coordination dynamics. A unique feature of TCN is, therefore, that it is specifically general and generally specific.

The mission of TCN isn’t just to impart information. It doesn’t just say, “This is how it is and isn’t that interesting.” TCN engages and challenges its audience, providing new directions for discovery and invention. TCN says, “Here is a fresh approach to life that you can use, and you don’t have to be a theoretical physicist to appreciate and apply it.” Therefore, although one could conceive of TCN as a popular science book, almost any interested individual or group could study and apply the concepts in their own realms. TCN provides the methods, concepts and tools to do this.

WHAT SPECIAL FEATURES DOES TCN OFFER?

TCN introduces a new meaning and application of the tilde, or squiggle character (~) , as in mind~body, organism~environment, individual~collective. Unlike the hyphen, the squiggle does not represent a concatenation of words, but indicates their complementary relationship. This novel way of writing complementary pairs then, if it is adopted and accepted, could have a life of its own, perhaps akin to the “@” symbol. The whole notion of the complementary pair has the potential of becoming a new kind of word association that may someday find its way into dictionaries.

Another more cosmetic feature of TCN is its small black and white stylized pictures of historical figures along with an epigram that ties them to the underlying theme of TCN. This metacommunication expresses to the audience a deep and non-trivial connection between thinkers from many ages and points of view. The pictures and epigrams are small and unassuming, take little space and enhance readability.

A third feature is that TCN provides a “Hopefully No Pains Tutorial on Nonlinear Dynamical Systems” that has been finely honed in lectures to many audiences over the years and fits a crying need for those who would like to understand these concepts and tools better, and even put them to use.

A fourth, more subtle special feature is that the book is structured after its own message, in three movements. The first is philosophical, the second is scientific and the third deals with their reconciliation (philosophy~science).

TO WHAT AUDIENCE IS TCN AIMED?

TCN is intended for the broadest possible audience. Why? Because complementary pairs are ubiquitous. They impinge on all aspects of the human condition. Following the main message of the book, its scope includes young~old, as found in issues of a developmental scope; male~female as found in issues of procreation and sexuality, chauvinism and feminism; rich~poor as found in socioeconomic issues; experience~inexperience as found in educational settings, businesses and corporations; organism~enviroment as found in discussions of sustained development, deforestation and global warming; etc.

We expect that if complementary pairs and coordination dynamics (CP~CD) are pursued in a serious and dedicated manner, they will open up new avenues of research and development, aid in the creation of inventions, and facilitate communication between disparate fields of endeavor. We also believe that TCN is the tip of the iceberg. We are anticipating a whole series of related work, some by us, some by others, such as “The Complementary Nature of Economics”, “The Complementary Nature of Art”, “The Complementary Nature of Pharmacogenomics”, The Complementary Nature of Management, The Complementary Nature of the Stock Market, etc.

If these developments come to pass, TCN can serve as a manifesto, providing the seed for a whole new branch of research and development. We want it to be on every bookshelf because we think it will continue to be useful and relevant in the future. TCN isn’t time- or scale-dependent. We hope that people will be reading TCN fifty and a hundred and fifty years from now, and will still find it inspiring as a philosophy and useful as a science.

At its core, TCN brings a novel scientific grounding to age-old questions that are asked by all of us, like what is more fundamental, nature or nurture, body or mind, whole or part, individual or collective? TCN places these questions in a whole different light, contending that the way these questions are raised misses a great deal, possibly the essence of phenomena that are located, quite literally, in the “excluded middle”. Such “grey areas” are replete with ambiguities, metastabilities, complexes, mixtures and transitions that fill life with content, color and flavor. It is to these wonderful difficulties that TCN is dedicated.

WHY IS TCN NEEDED?

Simply stated, TCN is needed because the world is still dominated by a mutually exclusive either/or mentality, in spite of a mountain of evidence indicating that such a view is detrimental and prone to error. Something needs to replace it. But ironically, if we seek to replace either/or thinking with some alternate mind-set, the either/or thinking has remained! Instead, what is needed is to place mutually exclusive either/or thinking in a more appropriate position within a spectrum of other equally valid ways to interpret nature.

TCN is needed because its method of reconciliation includes different points of view, especially ones standing in polar opposition. Five or ten minutes of CNN should convince anyone that the world is ready for a novel interpretation of conflict that reconciles competition and cooperation, science and art, Muslims and Christians, liberals and conservatives, etc. Note that in eschewing polarized either/or thinking, TCN is not advocating a “centrist doctrine”. Indeed, TCN shows how any kind of policy based on an “ism” will eventually lead people astray.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Title The Complementary Nature
Authors Kelso, J. A. Scott and Engstrøm, David A.
Publisher MIT Press (Cambridge, MA)
Subjects Complementarity, Neuroscience; Cognitive Psychology; Brain; Philosophy
Editions Hardcover, Paperback
Series Bradford Books
Publication Date May 2006
Level Popular Science
Language English
Illustrations Yes
Pages 317
Dimensions 9 x 6 inches
ISBN 9780262112918