Computational Equivalence

Computational Equivalence is a concept from the field of computer science and complexity theory, proposed by Stephen Wolfram. It suggests that systems capable of performing computation, whether simple or complex, can exhibit similar levels of behavior or intelligence. In essence, many different processes—like weather patterns, fluid dynamics, or even some algorithms—can have the same computational power, meaning they can solve problems or generate information in comparable ways. This principle implies that complexity and intelligence may arise from various systems, making them fundamentally equivalent in terms of their computational abilities, regardless of their specific nature or structure.