The Nonlinear Universe: Chaos, Emergence, Life
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008After reading Rosen’s book “Life Itself” I became very interested in non-reductionist thinking and found the book from Alwyn C. Scott. It is an excellent overview and the last 30 page chapter “Reductionism in Life” is worth the whole book:
- Newton’s Legacy
- The Reductive Program
- Supervenience and Physicalism
- Practical Considerations
- Objections to Reductionism
- Googols of Possibilities
- Convoluted Causality
- Nonlinear Causality
- Time’s Arrow
- Downward Causation
- Open Systems
- Closed Causal Loops and Open Networks
- Theories of Life
- Artificial Life vs. Autopoiesis
- Relational Biology
- Mechanisms
- Complex Systems and Chaotic Emergence
- What Is Life?
The Nonlinear Universe: Chaos, Emergence, Life (The Frontiers Collection)
Highly recommended especially if you were trained as a physicist or a chemist like myself.
- Dmitry Vostokov @ LiterateScientist.com -