Abstract
In his theory of self-reproducing automata, von Neumann (1966) begins with the concept of complexity as a given primitive notion. Von Neumann, with creative original work to his credit in quantum theory, theory of operators, ergodic theory, and many other areas of pure mathematics, was well versed in the art of beginning with an axiom, definition, or primitive notion as given and deducing its consequences rigorously. He did not hesitate to begin with the axiomatic observation that today’s organisms are phylogenetically derived from ancestral forms which were much less complex.
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© 1976 Plenum Press, New York
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Gatlin, L.L. (1976). Information Theory, Molecular Evolution, and the Concepts of von Neumann. In: Goodman, M., Tashian, R.E., Tashian, J.H. (eds) Molecular Anthropology. Advances in Primatology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8783-5_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-8783-5_5
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