Dynamic Symmetry Across Scales

University of Oxford  - Hilary Term and Summer Term 2027

Following the Royal Society seminar, Edge of Chaos: Exploring Dynamic Symmetry Theory and the Science of Complexity, held in May 2026 (see https://schweitzer.institute/papers), OXQ and The Schweitzer Institute will convene two linked Oxford meetings in 2027 under the shared title Dynamic Symmetry Across Scales.

Both meetings begin from a simple but demanding question: do complex systems - from physical and biological systems to minds, markets and institutions - often operate most effectively within constrained, shifting regimes between excessive rigidity and unstructured variability? If so, can those regimes be described, measured and, where appropriate, protected or restored?

The two meetings are designed as critical investigations rather than endorsements of a pre-set theory. They will examine whether the language of dynamic symmetry, constrained stochasticity, multilevel causation and “viable bands” between order and variation provides genuine explanatory and practical value across different domains.

Part I: Stochasticity, phase structure and viable regimes

The first meeting, to be held in Hilary Term 2027, will focus on physical, biological and neurodynamic systems.

It will revisit questions raised at the Royal Society with more time for technical discussion: the role of noise and fluctuation in adaptive systems; the relation between stability, criticality and change; phase structure and transitions; and the possibility of identifying simple, interpretable measures of order, variation and resilience.

Particular attention will be given to concrete cases in which systems appear to occupy distinct regimes - for example, highly constrained, dynamically balanced and highly disordered states - and to whether transitions between them can be mapped in a way that is scientifically meaningful. The aim is to clarify where dynamic-symmetry language is genuinely useful, where it overlaps with established concepts such as homeostasis, resilience, feedback control and criticality, and where its claims need to be qualified or rejected.

Part II: Biological relativity, institutional design and public value

The second meeting, to be held in Summer Term 2027, will extend the discussion into economics, management, governance, law and public policy.

Its central question is whether insights from biological systems - especially the way living systems maintain robust forms while harnessing rather than simply suppressing stochastic variation - can illuminate the design of social and institutional systems. The discussion will consider the relationship between higher-level constraints and local agency; the balance between rules and discretion; continuity and reform; innovation and resilience; and market processes and the wider non-market environments in which they operate.

This second meeting will not assume that biological and social systems are straightforwardly analogous. Instead, it will treat the transfer of concepts across domains as a test: asking when notions such as constrained variation, boundary conditions, multilevel causation and adaptive robustness help clarify institutional design, and when the analogy breaks down.

Taken together, the two meetings will create a staged conversation. The Hilary Term event will examine the scientific foundations and limits of the proposed framework; the Summer Term event will test its wider interdisciplinary and practical reach.

Edge of Chaos: Exploring Dynamic Symmetry Theory and the Science of Complexity

The Royal Society, London – 15 May 2026

Edge of Chaos was the first in this three‑part series, bringing together leading physicists, biologists, ecologists, philosophers and policy thinkers to explore whether there are common structural principles linking living systems, physical processes and human institutions. The focus was on dynamic symmetry theory, the Dynamic Symmetry Index (DSI) and related work on self‑organised criticality, with direct implications for climate risk, health and governance.

Speakers included:

• Prof Daniela Bortoletto OBE (Head of Particle Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Tim Palmer FRS (Royal Society Research Professor in Climate Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Denis Noble CBE FRS (Emeritus Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Oxford)
• Prof Tim Lenton OBE (Chair in Climate Change and Earth System Science; Founding Director, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter)
• Prof Gianluca Gregori (Professor of Physics, University of Oxford)
• Prof Predrag Cicovacki (Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, College of the Holy Cross)
• Prof Alexander Lvovsky (Professor of Physics, University of Oxford)
• Gisella Marinuzzi (Associate Director, The Schweitzer Institute)
• Dr Igor V. Ovchinnikov (UCLA)
• Benedict Rattigan FRSA (Director, The Schweitzer Institute)

Recordings the Edge of Chaos talks can be accessed here: https://schweitzer.institute/papers