Complexity and its information content

The word ‘information’ has been used in many senses and its related concepts have been defined in different ways. One of the senses in which the word is used relates to a concept which is considered one of the main properties of matter. The definition of this conception of information supports the expression of concepts such as Complexity and Self-Organization. In this paper, Complexity and Self-Organization concepts are applied to systems at the macro- and microlevels. Their similarities and differences are analyzed and information content is considered. The regularities of Complexity and Self-Organization are applied to petroleum as a complex natural thermodynamic system. Petroleum reflects all of the main and widely understood features of Complexity and Self-Organization but demonstrates additional properties which were not considered earlier. Complexity and Self-Organization can help to deepen our understanding of the origin of hydrocarbon molecules, their age, and behavior in the process of petroleum generation in general.