In search of a theory of complexity: An overview on the Denton workshop

This paper is an outgrowth of the discussions held during the 2005 Denton Workshop, In Search of a Theory of Complexity. The workshop title captures the intent of the scientists who had come from Europe, the middle east and the United States to discuss the possibility that recent advances in statistical physics might provide a perspective that could guide us in constructing a theory of complexity. In this first paper of the proceedings we attempt to summarize the concepts introduced in the various debates and to draw some conclusions. But we caution the reader that these conclusions are our own and are not necessarily shared by the other participants of the workshop.