Description
Book SynopsisIn what will certainly be one of the key works in the emerging science of complexity, Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology. It extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization - the first time this concept has been incorporated into evolutionary theory. The book shows how complex systems, contrary to expectations, can spontaneously exhibit stunning degrees of order, and how this order in turn is essential for the emergence and development of life on Earth. Origins of Order will advance our understanding of evolution and provoke considerable discussion among evolutionary, molecular, and developmental biologists.
Trade Review. . . an integrative book that will become a landmark and a classic as we grope towards a more comprehensive and satisfying theory of evolution. * Stephen Jay Gould *
Stuart Kauffman's book . . . is a global representation of a new field, that will greatly enhance our physical understanding of Nature . . . A superb reading, not limited to physicists and biologists, having most important implications in natural philosophy. * Manfred Eigen *
Here is a big book with a big purpose. . . . The Origins of Order is the first book to be written by any of the complexity theorists themselves, and it presents Kauffman's view of the biological realm. . . . The Origins of Order will be seen as a major work in the progression of biological theory. At the very least, Kauffman has made a persuasive case to have his bold hypothesis heard. * Roger Lewin *
Table of ContentsPART I: ADAPTATION ON THE EDGE OF CHAOS; PART II: THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF LIFE; PART III: ORDER AND ONTOGENY
