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Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 501
EAN: 9780671872342
Edition: 1st
ISBN: 0671872346
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 384
Publication Date: January 15, 1992
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Editorial Review:
Why did the stock market crash more than 500 points on a single Monday in 1987? Why do ancient species often remain stable in the fossil record for millions of years and then suddenly disappear? In a world where nice guys often finish last, why do humans value trust and cooperation? At first glance these questions don't appear to have anything in common, but in fact every one of these statements refers to a complex system. The science of complexity studies how single elements, such as a species or a stock, spontaneously organize into complicated structures like ecosystems and economies; stars become galaxies, and snowflakes avalanches almost as if these systems were obeying a hidden yearning for order.
Drawing from diverse fields, scientific luminaries such as Nobel Laureates Murray Gell-Mann and Kenneth Arrow are studying complexity at a think tank called The Santa Fe Institute. The revolutionary new discoveries researchers have made there could change the face of every science from biology to cosmology to economics. M. Mitchell Waldrop's groundbreaking bestseller takes readers into the hearts and minds of these scientists to tell the story behind this scientific revolution as it unfolds.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - If you liked Gleick's Chaos, you'll love this!
If you liked Gleick's Chaos, you'll love this book! Though it isn't a book directly concerning Complexity Theory, it definitely gives the reader a great understanding concerning the developments of Complexity Theory and its differences from Chaos Theory. It will definitely make you rethink even what you have just read.
Rating:  - PR flak for Calif.
Very disappointed in it. More form than substance. Author was too intent on patting CA schools on the back.
Rating:  - Look in the index and start at the 1st page mentioning Godel
If you want to focus on complexity...then go to this book's index and start reading at the first page which mentions Kurt Godel.
As you proceed forward you will then find that this book spends progressively more time actually discussing the mathematical concepts underlying complexity or edge of chaos analysis and less time giving war stories about the founders of the Sante Fe Institute...which studied complexity.
Using this method you will learn about complexity theory which ... Read More
Rating:  - Meh...
I found the book disappointing. This is definitely NOT in the league of Chaos.
In particular, the coverage of the material of the subject, complexity, was very thin. Waldrop would bring up a subject, address it with some metaphor, and then move on without providing any details. The vast majority of the book is a series of stories about scientists at the Santa Fe Institute who had their inner-child hurt on their journey to discovering complexity. A better title for the book would have ... Read More
Rating: - Interesting story
The main thread of the book is the Santa Fe Institute, a multidisciplinary research and education center founded in 1984 in the US. The institute deals with complex adaptive systems from physical, biological, computational, and social point of view. Complexity can be found in for instance environmental, technological, biological, economic, and political systems. Hence, this research area is highly relevant.
The story was interesting to read. However, being an engineer, I prefer a shorter and ... Read More
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