Managing the Butterfly Effect: Order and Chaos in the Game of Go
The Japanese master Eyo once said that Go is like bringing things into order. Modern research in chaos theory shows that evolution from simplicity to complexity, the origin of life, and creative breakthroughs all occur on the boundary between order and chaos. These turbulent states are most clearly illustrated by cellular automata, whose mechanics are very similar to those of Go.
Perhaps the creators of Go were less interested in simulating military battles than in exploring the order and chaos that interact to create complex, living systems.
I must say right away that I am not an expert in the field of chaos and have approached it based on my limited knowledge, drawing on the work of more authoritative experts. Any inaccuracies or oversimplifications are my own fault. In a lecture for the Noodome community, I made my first attempt to discuss this complex topic. I had to discard some of the examples due to their complexity. I plan to return to them in the future.
00:00 Lecture Start
00:45 What is Chaos for Dummies
02:17 The Butterfly Effect: Small Causes Lead to Big Consequences
04:04 The Boundary of Chaos: Where All the Interesting Things Happen
11:39 The Yin-Yang Diagram as a Model of the Boundary of Chaos
13:17 The Basics of Life and Death in Go, Based on a Beginner's Game
21:25 Weakness in Strength: A More Complex Illustration of the Limits of Chaos, Using the Creation of a Protected Territory
26:09 The Formula for Success: The Whole Must Be Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
27:43 Helicopter View: Why You Shouldn't Rely Only on Simple Solutions
29:52 A Game of "Stupid Moves": The Match between Go Seigen and Meijin Shusai as an Example of Reaching the Boundary of Chaos
32:50 A Case Study of Kodak and Fujifilm as an Example of Searching for a Strategy to Manage Butterfly Effects in Business
39:12 Conclusions The recipe for victory is to add a little chaos to your order.
My Go textbook – M.G. Yemelyanov's "The Game of Emperors. Go Strategies for Life, Business, and War"
Mikhail Yemelyanov's Telegram channel – @gostrateg8