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

by Stuart Kauffman (Author)

102 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0195111309

ISBN-10: 0195111303

Why is ISBN important?

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers

from

Other Sellers

See all 13 versions

Used: Good | Details

Sold by GREENWORLD BOOKS

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Monday, Aug 16 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

In Stock.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery: Sunday, Aug 15 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Details

Fastest delivery: Thursday, Aug 12
Order within 23 hrs and 35 mins Details

Available at a lower price from other sellers that may not offer free Prime shipping.

A major scientific revolution has begun, a new paradigm that rivals Darwin's theory in importance. At its heart is the discovery of the order that lies deep within the most complex of systems, from the origin of life, to the workings of giant corporations, to the rise and fall of great
civilizations. And more than anyone else, this revolution is the work of one man, Stuart Kauffman, a MacArthur Fellow and visionary pioneer of the new science of complexity. Now, in At Home in the Universe, Kauffman brilliantly weaves together the excitement of intellectual discovery and a fertile
mix of insights to give the general reader a fascinating look at this new science--and at the forces for order that lie at the edge of chaos.
We all know of instances of spontaneous order in nature--an oil droplet in water forms a sphere, snowflakes have a six-fold symmetry. What we are only now discovering, Kauffman says, is that the range of spontaneous order is enormously greater than we had supposed. Indeed, self-organization is a
great undiscovered principle of nature. But how does this spontaneous order arise? Kauffman contends that complexity itself triggers self-organization, or what he calls "order for free," that if enough different molecules pass a certain threshold of complexity, they begin to self-organize into a new
entity--a living cell. Kauffman uses the analogy of a thousand buttons on a rug--join two buttons randomly with thread, then another two, and so on. At first, you have isolated pairs; later, small clusters; but suddenly at around the 500th repetition, a remarkable transformation occurs--much like
the phase transition when water abruptly turns to ice--and the buttons link up in one giant network. Likewise, life may have originated when the mix of different molecules in the primordial soup passed a certain level of complexity and self-organized into living entities (if so, then life is not a
highly improbable chance event, but almost inevitable). Kauffman uses the basic insight of "order for free" to illuminate a staggering range of phenomena. We see how a single-celled embryo can grow to a highly complex organism with over two hundred different cell types. We learn how the science of
complexity extends Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection: that self-organization, selection, and chance are the engines of the biosphere. And we gain insights into biotechnology, the stunning magic of the new frontier of genetic engineering--generating trillions of novel molecules to
find new drugs, vaccines, enzymes, biosensors, and more. Indeed, Kauffman shows that ecosystems, economic systems, and even cultural systems may all evolve according to similar general laws, that tissues and terra cotta evolve in similar ways. And finally, there is a profoundly spiritual element to
Kauffman's thought. If, as he argues, life were bound to arise, not as an incalculably improbable accident, but as an expected fulfillment of the natural order, then we truly are at home in the universe.
Kauffman's earlier volume, The Origins of Order, written for specialists, received lavish praise. Stephen Jay Gould called it "a landmark and a classic." And Nobel Laureate Philip Anderson wrote that "there are few people in this world who ever ask the right questions of science, and they are the
ones who affect its future most profoundly. Stuart Kauffman is one of these." In At Home in the Universe, this visionary thinker takes you along as he explores new insights into the nature of life.

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Stuart A. Kauffman
91
Hardcover
42 offers from $3.05
Stuart A. Kauffman
96
Hardcover
31 offers from $14.69
Stuart A. Kauffman
31
Hardcover
60 offers from $1.99
Stuart A. Kauffman
30
Paperback
46 offers from $3.76
Douglas R Hofstadter
1,394
Paperback
in Machine Theory
117 offers from $4.57
Stuart A. Kauffman
28
Hardcover
44 offers from $13.95

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Stuart A. Kauffman
91
Hardcover
42 offers from $3.05
Stuart A. Kauffman
96
Hardcover
31 offers from $14.69
Stuart A. Kauffman
31
Paperback
50 offers from $2.10
Douglas R Hofstadter
1,394
Paperback
in Machine Theory
117 offers from $4.57
Stuart A. Kauffman
28
Hardcover
44 offers from $13.95
Stuart A. Kauffman
30
Paperback
46 offers from $3.76

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The best treatment I have yet encountered about how order emerges naturally -- and possibly even necessarily -- out of chaos. Profoundly important, and considerably more informed than better-known pop-science treatments of chaos theory. Very highly recommended.

Review

"Courageous....I guarantee that any reader whose imagination has survived an academic education--or has never been exposed to one--will learn a lot, and be changed forever."--Ian Stewart, Nature

"A new and far-reaching theory of order in the universe, introduced by a pioneer in that theory's development."--The Washington Post Book World

"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, author of The Panda's Thumb

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Revised ed. edition (November 21, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0195111303
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0195111309
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.81 x 0.86 x 5.69 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #694,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #693 in Quantum Theory (Books)
- #834 in Cosmology (Books)
- #1,110 in Physics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
102 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		28%
3 star		3%
2 star		2%
1 star		6%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Utterly transformative ideas - presented in a frequently annoying way.

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2008

Verified Purchase

Stuart Kauffman is a brilliant renaissance man; a man who was a playwright, philosopher, physician, and ultimately seminal theorist of the principles of complexity and emergence at the Santa Fe Institute. His ideas are widely influential, groundbreaking, and bear upon the largest questions: what is the origin of life? In the face of the 2nd law of thermodynamics, what explains the richness of order we observe all around us? What are the underlying mathematical principles of emergent phenomena? What are the underlying mathematical principles of evolution (both natural and technological)? Indeed, until Kauffman, I had trouble defining evolution without a tautology at all (i.e. "evolution is survival of the fittest - and 'the fittest' are defined as the ones who survive"). Kauffman gives you a lexicon for understanding evolution, including why there is more radical divergence of form in early evolution and less later on. The principles of emergence bear directly on such diverse topics as ontogeny, economics, the formation of galaxies, coevolution of related species, etc... "At Home in the Universe" is Kauffman's synthesis - his attempt to tie up his decades of work in an explanatory way for the layman. The book is full of intricate diagrams illustrating the concepts discussed and, while sometimes challenging, is readable by any moderately educated person. These ideas have the power to change people's world views - and certainly have transformed my own. Stuart Kauffman's ideas have resonated deeply for me and have inspired me in a multitude of ways.

So, what's the problem? It's the writing. Kauffman can't seem to decide if he is writing a book of philosophy or a book of science. He spends an inordinate amount of space discussing the philosophical implications of his ideas, often before he has even presented the ideas - let alone the experimental or theoretical support. As a book of exposition of science, "At Home in the Universe" is almost inexcusably poor. He presents a complex idea accompanied by a complex diagram which he explains. Often, however, he fails to explain the nature of the experiment or research that generated the diagram. He doesn't describe experimental or theoretical support for these ideas. The paucity of descriptions of the science behind these powerful ideas is doubly galling in the presence of repetitive presentation of inappropriate philosophical analysis. Many times in the course of this book I had to throw up my hands in frustration, wishing for exposition of the experiments hinted at in the diagrams - and being given long range cultural and religious context in its stead. For God's sake, let me put the context together for myself! But please give me the evidence.

In conclusion, this book ultimately teases. If you have any interest in emergence or complexity theory you will need to read this - the ideas are that profound. However, having read it, you will have to look elsewhere for empirical or theoretical support for the powerful ideas presented here.

26 people found this helpful

Helpful

Paula Sisson

If your antennas don't quiver while reading this book, you need a brain transplant. Quick! :)

Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2021

Verified Purchase

New paradigms, complexity, self-organizing theories. A nice challenge to Darwin. What's not to love about this book. I just loved Kauffman's down to earth way of describing complex ideas. Read it. Remember to wear socks while reading. It'll blow your socks off!

Helpful

Dianelos Georgoudis

a mathematical explanation of life

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2000

Verified Purchase

The basic idea of Kauffman's book is that the complexity we see in nature (including life or technology) is contingent to math, i.e. can be explained and predicted by mathematical reasoning. The same is true of statistical thermodynamics and evolution. He states that Darwin's evolutionary theory explains only how complex life emerged from simple life, but it does not explain how simple life emerged from matter. There is probably a larger jump in complexity from matter to the first simple cell, than from that simple cell to a modern human being. Darwin does not explain that first jump. Kauffman doesn't either even though he is convincing in showing that life must have started through autocatalytic sets of molecules. He points out that these sets are self-organizing, stable and can vary as a reflex to external stimuli. What he mentions, but does not explain, is that autocatalytic sets can (or must) self-reproduce, a necessary step before evolution sets in. On page 66 of the paperback edition he states that "such breaking in two happens spontaneously as such [auto-catalytic] sets increase in volume", but, maddeningly, he does not explain how or why. One has to wonder: if life is such a necessary result of matter (therefore the title "at home in the universe") why then has it proven so difficult to synthesize anything approaching life in the laboratory? He doesn't say.
The book is full of incredibly interesting ideas. He explains ontogeny (the transformation of a fertilized egg to a highly complex and differentiated organism) using a simple model of on/off enzymes which allows him to build a Boolean network in which different cell types correspond to different "attractors", which are intrinsic in such a network. He shows that the same relationship that holds between number of attractors and size of a network, also holds between number of cell types and size of DNA of a wide range of organisms. Very impressive. He goes on to discuss things like fitness landscapes and genetic algorithms, the edge between boring order and supracritical instability where the really interesting stuff happens, the co-evolution of coupled systems, the structure of efficient companies or countries, and more.
The only criticism I have is about his poetical language that does indeed resemble fluff; anyone who even partly understands his ideas would be excited enough without all that sauce. Also I missed a deeper development, the book does point into one interesting direction and then jumps into another matter, leaving one hungering for more. But maybe this is the author's intent.
This is an excellent book even though it resembles more a symphony of ideas than a theorem. Very highly recommended: a mind opener.

149 people found this helpful

Helpful

Philip Carl

A brave view on how we got here

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2003

Verified Purchase

This book takes a hard look at how life on earth came to be. Rather than buy into the idea that somehow life evolved via the "blind watchmaker" scenario (i.e., similar to the argument that an army of monkeys sitting at typewriters would eventually compose a great novel), Stuart Kauffman builds a terrific case that the ingredients essential to life are bound to the rules that govern complex adaptive systems. And the very presence of these rules send a strong signal that "we the living", are "we the intended."
The author's conviction to both his argument and the science of complex systems is evident throughout the book. If you are coming to this book without much background in complex adaptive systems, you will not be short-changed here. In fact, Kauffman provides extremely rich examples with numerous simple diagrams to educate the reader as he builds his case. Considering the book was published some 7 years ago, I was surprised to see the concept of gene networks given so much attention in the text. Seeing how the latest trend in genomics research is looking at genes and proteins as a regulatory network and attempting to identify specific disease pathways, the science in this book is extremely relevant.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Steven Unwin

Breathtaking glimpse of new scientific thinking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is an astonishing book which explores the nature of self organising processes and their role in the origins of life. At its heart is a profound question. `Is life and humankind the product of an incredibly luck and unlikely accident, or is humankind the natural product of order emerging from chaos.

Stuart Kaufman has an engaging style and an enviable talent for illuminating and explaining ideas which might otherwise be impenetrable.

He constructs a powerful case for the emergence of order from seeming chaos, and challenges some of our most basic scientific beliefs. He begins with the second law of thermodynamics which defines entropy as a measure of disorder that is claimed to always increase. Yet as he writes these words he looks from his window and all he can see is order, lovely order.

From this simple starting point he begins an exploration of the limitations in adequately explaining the world we experience, of a scientific mindset framed by Newtonian thinking. Kaufman constructs a compelling case that the belief in a controllable `clockwork universe' is inadequate.

He explores a wide range of examples of self-organisation and with his biological background homes in one of the most intriguing examples, `Ontology' the process by which a single cell repeatedly subdivides and creates the complex structure of a creature such as you or I.

I think I wrote more notes reading this book than any other I've read. It covers some complex ground but whenever the going began to become challenging he would revert to a simple illustration to bring a new concept into focus.

An absolutely stunning book.

3 people found this helpful

Cherri Lewis

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Marvellous book, prompt delivery.

André Coelho

Stuart Kauffmann lifetime research

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2013

Verified Purchase

For all those interested in complexity studying, this is a summary of a "heavy weight" in the matter: Stuart Kauffmann. Mind boggling in some parts, but overall a great mind opening experience into nature's infinite capacity to create...and to amaze us.

GordanaDodig

Highly recommended!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 29, 2013

Verified Purchase

Even for general reader this book presents scientific results of contemporary research understandable and of our place in the universe appears as a natural consequence of basic scientific principles.

Malachy Hanberry

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

All perfect as usual

See all reviews

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

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

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?