'''Effective complexity''' is a [[Complex systems|measure of [[complexity]] defined in a 20031996 paper by [[Murray Gell-Mann]] and [[Seth Lloyd]] that attempts to measure the amount of non-[[random]] [[information]] in a system.<ref>http{{Cite journal|url=https://wwwphilpapers.santafe.eduorg/researchrec/publicationsGELIME|title=Information Measures, Effective Complexity, and Total Information|journal=Complexity|year=1996|volume=2|issue=1|pages=44–52|last1=Gell-Mann|first1=Murray|last2=Lloyd|first2=Seth|doi=10.1002/workingpapers(SICI)1099-0526(199609/0310)2:1<44::AID-12CPLX10>3.0.CO;2-068X|bibcode=1996Cmplx.pdf..2a..44G}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |arxiv = 0810.5663|doi = 10.1109/TIT.2010.2053892|title = Effective Complexity and Its Relation to Logical Depth|journal = IEEE Transactions on Information Theory|volume = 56|issue = 9|pages = 4593–4607|year = 2010|last1 = Ay|first1 = Nihat|last2 = Muller|first2 = Markus|last3 = Szkola|first3 = Arleta|s2cid = 2217934}}</ref> It has been criticised as being dependent on the subjective decisions made as to which parts of the information in the system are to be discounted as random.<ref>http{{Cite journal|url=https://catphilpapers.inistorg/rec/MCAECA|doi=10.fr1086/?aModele375469|title=Effective Complexity as a Measure of Information Content|year=2003|last1=McAllister|first1=James W.|journal=Philosophy of Science|volume=70|issue=2|pages=afficheN&cpsidt302–307|s2cid=14976916120267550}}</ref>
