Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software Reprint Edition

by Steven Johnson (Author)

126 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0684868769

ISBN-10: 0684868768

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In the tradition of Being Digital and The Tipping Point, Steven Johnson, acclaimed as a "cultural critic with a poet's heart" (The Village Voice), takes readers on an eye-opening journey through emergence theory and its applications.

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A VOICE LITERARY SUPPLEMENT TOP 25 FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR
AN ESQUIRE MAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
Explaining why the whole is sometimes smarter than the sum of its parts, Johnson presents surprising examples of feedback, self-organization, and adaptive learning. How does a lively neighborhood evolve out of a disconnected group of shopkeepers, bartenders, and real estate developers? How does a media event take on a life of its own? How will new software programs create an intelligent World Wide Web?

In the coming years, the power of self-organization -- coupled with the connective technology of the Internet -- will usher in a revolution every bit as significant as the introduction of electricity. Provocative and engaging, Emergence puts you on the front lines of this exciting upheaval in science and thought.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Michiko Kakutani The New York Times Book Review Johnson once again demonstrates his range as a cultural historian....stimulating reading.

Edward Dolnick The Washington Post Johnson is a clear, lively writer with an aversion to jargon and a knack for crafting offbeat analogies....clever and thought-provoking.

Tom Standage The Economist A dizzying, dazzling romp through fields as disparate as urban planning, computer game design, neurology, and control theory.

David Pogue The New York Times Johnson opens our eyes to swarm-logic behavior in our own lives...with wit, clarity, and enthusiasm.

About the Author

Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of Interface Culture, Emergence, and Everything Bad Is Good for You as well as a columnist for Discover and a contributing editor at Wired. He lives in New York City with his wife and two sons, and can be reached via the Web at www.stevenberlinjohnson.com.

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Product details

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Scribner; Reprint edition (September 10, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684868768
ISBN-13: 978-0684868769
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 126 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in Books > Textbooks > Engineering > Environmental Engineering
- #16 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Information Theory
- #19 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > System Theory

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M Dallas

Melanie Mitchell on 'Complexity' is way better (though harder to read than this

November 8, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Steve is a pop writer and never spends the time to dig deep into his subject matter. The latter half of the book completely falls apart into blather. At some points, one gets the impression that ALL events that are not conducted by a "centralized, Stalinist leader" (he uses Stalin way too much) somehow qualify them as 'emergent.' So, there is no conceptual clarity about what IS and what IS NOT emergence. Just vagueness and no rigor. Melanie Mitchell on 'Complexity' is way better (though harder to read than this, but hey, it is a complex subject matter, so it SHOULD be harder than Steve's book!!!).

12 people found this helpful

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John R. Robison

A Readable Account of Complexity and Emergence, not to be Lightly Dismissed

May 14, 2014

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An interesting look at the new discipline of Complexity science, and a subtle jab at the idea of reductionism as the only way to understand the universe. Johnson, a columnist for Discover, looks at the phenomenon of Emergence as it takes new forms. Starting from the idea of slime molds and ant colonies, both of which are collectives made up of not particularly "intelligent" individual parts that do pretty amazing things as a collective, to brain cells (again not particularly amazing on their own), to computer software that gains complexity as time goes on. Emergence is a complicated subject that covers a verity of phenomena, but is about how things go from simple to complex, and pic up new qualities as they do so. This runs counter to the normal way that science tends to do things, namely to reduce things to the smallest units to understand a thing. Emergence is noted for having a "downwardly causative" affect upon the individual parts that is not particularly predictable by looking at the parts. That is in part why it can be a confusing book: it seems to jump from topic to topic, all the while it is talking about a phenomenon that cuts across all sorts of disciplines and can be seen in many different places. It also, as I noted, works in a way that runs counter to the general dogmatic proposition of reductionist thought that dominates analytic philosophy and science. This leads many to reject the concept out of hand as being "unscientific" or "unfocused." However, it is a real thing, that can be seen in slime mold movements and the development of urban areas. The book points to how it can be harnessed and tapped in order to build a, potentially, better future.

3 people found this helpful

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Philip Carl

Mainstream Media Meets Complex Adaptive Systems

February 7, 2003

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The publishing industry continues to fuel the growth of popular science with titles like Emergence. I'm all for the growth of science titles, but the price comes at the increase in the number of watered-down, easy-to-digest material you'll find in bookstores. With the explosion in books written on the topic of complex adaptive systems, I found it difficult to choose a single book in the category. With little restraint, I dove in.
Emergence is a light, easy read devoted to describing systems that demonstrate adaptive behavior. The author sends significant time on contemporary systems such as the news media, the worldwide web, and large urban areas. On more than one occasion, the author appears to be reaching to make a conclusion. It's difficult to say whether he hadn't done the research or wanted the reader to draw his/her own conclusion.
Nonetheless, Steven Johnson paints an abstract picture of systems that demonstrate a larger, collective set of smarts. Like most abstract art, some people will be inspired and others won't. I found the writing and subject matter interesting enough to keep my curiosity fueled to pick up another book on complex systems. If you approach Emergence with a mind-set of getting more art than science, you're less likely to be let down.

15 people found this helpful

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P. Lemberg

Three simple - and very useful - ideas

December 7, 2001

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

An interesting book, but not necessarily one in which you need to read every word. In fact, if you skim, speed read, or photo-read - the simple ideas - well, they emerge from the text. Johnson explains the properties of emergent systems - positive and negative feedback loops, neighbor interaction, and pattern recognition. With just these three ideas he describes a range of very interesting behaviors including ant colonies, the development of neighborhoods and cities, genetic algorithms, collaborative filtering and online communities - even games. While somewhat antithetical to strategic business design - exploiting the properties of self-organizing systems can be a very profitable strategy unto itself (witness Ebay) this book should be read by online and offline marketers looking for the next model to replace advertising, as well as product designers, organizational development consultants, community activists, and people who like neat ideas.

11 people found this helpful

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Dr. Tom

Interesting but not deep

October 13, 2002

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Johnson has his finger on an interesting concept (emergence) that has been sweeping through science for the past decade or so. His analogies are hit-or-miss. Occasionally the book is thought-provoking, but nowhere does he come near to the depth and impact of books like Pinker's "The Language Instinct" or Gleick's "Chaos".
Some of the analogies backfired. The games mentioned don't strike me (or many other reviewers, apparently) as particularly compelling. The section on slashdot was also an underwhelming example, especially for those of us who have visited the site (the rating system is a weak form of emergence, and not as useful as Johnson seems to think).
A pleasant book, but over-hyped and over-rated.

4 people found this helpful

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Craig Scott

Tastes great -- less filling

May 25, 2003

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As per the previous reviews the book is an exuberant romp through a fascinating field of theory. The first half of the book is wonderful and will get you thinking about things differently (unless you are already well read in the area -- which I am not). The annecdotes regarding ants and cities are great introductory material but I found myself wanting the writer to go a little deeper. Chapters 5 and 6 are a little weak and find the author waxing excitedly about a variety of disconnected threads. The closing section of the book is an interesting attempt to extrapolate current trends into the future -- mostly dwelling on music, film, broadband etc. The futurism would have been more satisfying if it had touched more on other areas of life, medical, manufacturing, but that would have required a far greater leap. Overall, a fun book and a very quick read!

8 people found this helpful

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