At Home in the Universe: The Search for the Laws of Self-Organization and Complexity

by Stuart Kauffman

Overview

This exciting exploration into the nature of life brilliantly weaves together the excitement of intellectual discovery and a fertile mix of insights to give the general reader a fascinating look at the new science of complexity--and at the forces for order that lie at the edge of chaos. "An important new argument."--Carl Sagan, The Washington Post. 59 illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195111309
Publisher:	Oxford University Press, USA
Publication date:	11/28/1996
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	371,662
Product dimensions:	8.81(w) x 5.69(h) x 0.86(d)

About the Author

Stuart Kauffman is a member of the Santa Fe Institute. A MacArthur fellowship recipient, he is the leading thinker on self-organization and the science of complexity as applied to biology.

Editorial Reviews

According to MacArthur fellow Kauffman (Santa Fe Institute), "[T]he order of the biological world...is not merely tinkered, but arises naturally and spontaneously because of underlying principles of self- organization." These principles may be employed to analyze all manner of highly-involved patterns, from molecular biology, the rise and fall of corporations, to the intricate workings of government. Kauffman outlines the characteristics and potential uses of complexity, simply delineating its meaning for the future of scientific thought. For general readers. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Kauffman has done more than anyone else to supply the key missing piece of the propensity for self-organization that can join the random and the deterministic forces of evolution into a satisfactory theory of life's order."—Stephen Jay Gould, Harvard University

"Stuart Kauffman lucidly argues that, in addition to Darwinian selection, another force, the emergence of self-organized order from apparent chaos determines the beautiful systems that make up the world and cosmos. He contends that emergent order is a feature of many complex systems and general laws that may be defined from their study. It is an exciting and well-written volume."—Barry Blumberg, Fox Chase Cancer Research Center and Nobel Laureate

"Every once in a while, you read a book so powerful and with such a radical view that you realize your world is changed forever....Kauffman is a pioneer of the new science of complexity, which sees in the world of nature an inner force of its own, not mystical but scientific. This insight touches something deep in each of us, as we yearn to understand the order we see in nature. Kauffman shares his discovery with us, with lucidity, wit, and cogent argument, and we see his vision. Many will embrace it, as I did, and will gaze on the world anew."—Roger Lewin

"Stuart Kauffman gives us a rich and compelling picture of the new principle of self-organization in understanding the emergence of order in complex systems, whether life or society or the economy. The analysis is dramatic without sacrificing scientific accuracy and a careful differentiation between what is known and what is surmised. The hints he has given on the development of the economy and especially of technology will undoubtedly be the basis of a major intellectual development."—Kenneth J. Arrow, Nobel Laureate and Professor Emeritus, Stanford University

"Stu Kauffman is an immensely inventive and erudite explorer of the world of ideas and concepts. As with many explorers, not everyone will wish to accompany him but the description of the trip is fascinating."—Phil Anderson, Nobel Laureate in Physics, Princeton University

From the Publisher