Turing Minimalism and the Emergence of Complexity

Abstract

Not only did Turing help found one of the most exciting areas of modern science (computer science), but it may be that his contribution to our understanding of our physical reality is greater than we had hitherto supposed. Here I explore the path that Alan Turing would have certainly liked to follow, that of complexity science, which was launched in the wake of his seminal work on computability and structure formation. In particular, I will explain how the theory of algorithmic probability based on Turing's universal machine can also explain how structure emerges at the most basic level, hence reconnecting two of Turing's most cherished topics: computation and pattern formation.