Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
An elegant, mind-bending introduction to Complexity Theory, the science of how complex systems behave--from cells to ecosystems to human beings--that illuminates the very nature of life itself.The great scientific revolutions of the early twentieth century--the Theory of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics--are well-known, but another theory of equal profundity was developed by mathematicians at the end of the last century: an outgrowth of Chaos Theory, Complexity Theory is the science of organic life. Complexity rises up out of randomness to bring life into our universe, from quantum foam to single-celled organisms, human beings to entire ecosystems and beyond.
In this concise and elegant volume, physician, scientist, and philosopher Neil Theise demonstrates how atoms and molecules, bodies and planetary systems all combine self-organization and unpredictability to build something greater than the sum of their parts. Each chapter illuminates in clear and accessible prose the many surprising underlying connections within a universe that is itself one vast complex system--between ant colonies and economic bubbles, cancer and traffic patterns, murmurations of starlings and crowds walking down the street--explaining why infinitesimal patterns configure the world as we know it. Under Theise's microscope, readers are invited to explore topics from the permeable boundaries of our bodies to the very nature of consciousness itself, as he takes us to the frontiers of human knowledge, where science meets philosophy.
Notes on Complexity shows us that as assumptions about our world are continually upended, learning the simple principles of Complexity can radically reframe our perceptions. Complexity has the power to restore wonder to our experience of the everyday, allowing us to approach the world with greater understanding and a renewed sense of meaning.
Synopsis
An electrifying introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave, that explains the interconnectedness of all things and that Deepak Chopra says, "will change the way you understand yourself and the universe."Nothing in the universe is more complex than life. Throughout the skies, in oceans, and across lands, life is endlessly on the move. In its myriad forms--from cells to human beings, social structures, and ecosystems--life is open-ended, evolving, unpredictable, yet adaptive and self-sustaining. Complexity theory addresses the mysteries that animate science, philosophy, and metaphysics: how this teeming array of existence, from the infinitesimal to the infinite, is in fact a seamless living whole and what our place, as conscious beings, is within it. Physician, scientist, and philosopher Neil Theise makes accessible this "theory of being," one of the pillars of modern science, and its holistic view of human existence. He notes the surprising underlying connections within a universe that is itself one vast complex system--between ant colonies and the growth of forests, cancer and economic bubbles, murmurations of starlings and crowds walking down the street.
The implications of complexity theory are profound, providing insight into everything from the permeable boundaries of our bodies to the nature of consciousness.
Notes on Complexity is an invitation to trade our limited, individualistic view for the expansive perspective of a universe that is dynamic, cohesive, and alive--a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Theise takes us to the exhilarating frontiers of human knowledge and in the process restores wonder and meaning to our experience of the everyday.
Synopsis
- FOR READERS OF... Carlo Rovelli, Yuval Noah Harari, Suzanne Simard, James Gleick, Sean Carroll, Alan Lightman, Brian Greene, Lisa Randall, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, and Richard Feynman. Other comps include: The Hidden Life of Trees, Finding the Mother Tree, Sapiens, The Gene, Underland, Braiding Sweetgrass, Being Mortal, and The Soul of an Octopus.
- FIRST OF ITS KIND: This is the first trade book to introduce complexity theory, one of the pillars of modern science (along with relativity and quantum mechanics), to a general audience.
- ACCESSIBLE, LIVELY, AND CLEAR: Everything you want a science book to be-eye-opening, brilliant, informative, awe-inspiring, and fun.
- WHERE SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY MEET: Complexity theory addresses the mysteries that animate science, philosophy, and metaphysics: how this teeming array of existence, from the infinitesimal to the infinite, is in fact a seamless living whole and what our place, as conscious beings, is within it. It is for the science reader and the meditator alike.
- ILLUMINATES THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF ALL THINGS: Theise draws connections between ant colonies and economic bubbles, cancer and traffic patterns, murmurations of starlings and crowds walking down the street. Complexity theory reframes our perspective, from the metaphysical to the everyday.
- THEISE DISCUSSES COMPLEXITY THEORY IN THIS FASCINATING VIDEO: https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaGuSZz-Fzw&t=997s
Synopsis
The Marginalian Favorite Books of 2023 An electrifying introduction to complexity theory, the science of how complex systems behave, that explains the interconnectedness of all things and that Deepak Chopra says, "will change the way you understand yourself and the universe."
Nothing in the universe is more complex than life. Throughout the skies, in oceans, and across lands, life is endlessly on the move. In its myriad forms--from cells to human beings, social structures, and ecosystems--life is open-ended, evolving, unpredictable, yet adaptive and self-sustaining. Complexity theory addresses the mysteries that animate science, philosophy, and metaphysics: how this teeming array of existence, from the infinitesimal to the infinite, is in fact a seamless living whole and what our place, as conscious beings, is within it. Physician, scientist, and philosopher Neil Theise makes accessible this "theory of being," one of the pillars of modern science, and its holistic view of human existence. He notes the surprising underlying connections within a universe that is itself one vast complex system--between ant colonies and the growth of forests, cancer and economic bubbles, murmurations of starlings and crowds walking down the street.
The implications of complexity theory are profound, providing insight into everything from the permeable boundaries of our bodies to the nature of consciousness. Notes on Complexity is an invitation to trade our limited, individualistic view for the expansive perspective of a universe that is dynamic, cohesive, and alive--a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Theise takes us to the exhilarating frontiers of human knowledge and in the process restores wonder and meaning to our experience of the everyday.