On conceptual and methodological issues in control of complex systems

This paper focus on the conceptual and methodological issues in the study of complex system control, which begins by discussing the definition of complex systems and the principals of complex system control. In order to present the primary concept in complex system theory, a formal description for understanding emergence is introduced. Consequently, this paper indicates the emergence-oriented control methodology that contains three kinds of basic control schemes: the direct control, the system re-structuring and the system calibration. As a universal ontology, the emergence-oriented control provides a powerful tool for identifying and resolving control problems in specific systems.