"The idea of symmetry breaking is simple: matter collectively and spontaneously acquires a property or preference not present in the underlying rules themselves. For example, when atoms order into a crystal, they acquire preferred positions, even though there was nothing preferred about the positions before the crystal was formed. When a piece of iron becomes magnetic, the magnetism spontaneously selects a direction in which to point. These effects are important because they prove that organizational principles can give primitive matter a mind of its own and empower it to make decisions. We say that matter makes the decision 'at random' - meaning on the basis of some otherwise insignificant initial condition or external influence - but that does not quite capture the essence of the matter. Once the decision is made, it becomes 'real' and there is nothing random about it anymore. Symmetry breaking provides a simple, convincing example of how nature can becomne richly complex all on its own despite having underlying rules that are simple."

Slots and Values
ref	p44
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