目录 1 The Conceptual Origin of Cellular Automata 1.1 A Way of Thinking in Complexity: Complex Thinking 1.1.1 Simplicity and the Principle of Simplicity 1.1.2 Complexity and Complex Thinking 1.2 A Computing Mode Originated from Complexity---Computation by Rules 1.2.1 The Complexity of Computation 1.2.2 Two Computational Modes for Complexity Research 1.3 A Discrete Dynamics Model Originated from Complexity---Cellular Automata References 2 The Working Principle of Cellular Automata 2.1 The Invention of Cellular Automata 2.2 The Definition of Cellular Automata 2.2.1 Mathematical Definition 2.2.2 Physical Definition 2.3 The Composition of Cellular Automata 2.3.1 Ceils 2.3.2 Cellular Space 2.3.3 Neighborhood 2.3.4 Rules of Evolution 2.4 Working Process of Cellular Automata 2.5 Information Processing in Cellular Automata 2.6 Basic Characteristics of Cellular Automata 2.7 Three Classical Types of Cellular Automata 2.7.1 Elementary Cellular Automata by Wolfram 2.7.2 Conway's "Game of Life" . 2.7.3 Langton's "Virtual Ants". 2.8 The Philosophical Implications of Cellular Automata References 3 Model Building Method of Cellular Automata 3.1 Computer Models 3.2 Models of Cellular Automata 3.2.1 The Abstractness of Cellular Automata Models 3.2.2 The Adaptability of Cellular Automata Models 3.2.3 The Serf-organization of Cellular Automata Models 3.2.4 The Configuration of a Cellular Automaton Model 3.3 The Modeling Process of Cellular Automata 3.3.1 Determining the Characteristics of the System Being Studied 3.3.2 Lattice Division of a System 3.3.3 Determining Initial States of the Cells 3.3.4 Determining the Evolution Rules of a System 3.4 Simulation of the Evolution of Investment Strategies in Stock Market References 4 The Complexity of Cellular Automata 4.1 The Complexity in Nature and Formal Languages 4.1.1 Coarse-Grained Description and Symbol Set 4.1.2 Formal Language and Grammatical Complexity 4.1.3 Formal Languages and the Equivalence Theory of Automata 4.1.4 General-Purpose Computation of Cellular Automata and the Turing Machine 4.2 The Complexity of Cellular Automata's Evolutionary Configuration