The Physics of Interdependence, Social Uncertainty Relations, and Incompleteness

Abstract

We report on the development of a mathematical model of social uncertainty relations to replace traditional models of the interaction, as well as a model of complexity from econophysics. Our goal with this mathematics is to control hybrid teams, firms and systems (i.e., where “hybrids” are arbitrary combinations of humans, robots and machines). But uncertainty is created by states of interdependence between social objects: at one extreme, interdependence reduces to independence between agents, producing rational but asocial effects; at the other extreme, interdependence de-individuates a group’s members until individual identity dissolves into a group (e.g., strong cults, mobs, gangs, and well-run teams and firms). In other studies, we have reviewed the structure of teams; in this report, we focus on how interdependence impedes efforts at direct control by making meaning incomplete. We begin with bistability to simplify interdependence, and generalize to full interdependence.

Keywords

• interdependence; uncertainty; incompleteness; computational models