Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software
Binding : Paperback
ProductGroup : Book
Manufacturer : Scribner
Label : Scribner
Publisher : Scribner
Studio : Scribner
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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
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. 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.
Amazon.com Review
An individual ant, like an individual neuron, is just about as dumb as can be. Connect enough of them together properly, though, and you get spontaneous intelligence. Web pundit Steven Johnson explains what we know about this phenomenon with a rare lucidity in Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software. Starting with the weird behavior of the semi-colonial organisms we call slime molds, Johnson details the development of increasingly complex and familiar behavior among simple components: cells, insects, and software developers all find their place in greater schemes.
Most game players, alas, live on something close to day-trader time, at least when they're in the middle of a game--thinking more about their next move than their next meal, and usually blissfully oblivious to the ten- or twenty-year trajectory of software development. No one wants to play with a toy that's going to be fun after a few decades of tinkering--the toys have to be engaging now, or kids will find other toys.
Johnson has a knack for explaining complicated and counterintuitive ideas cleverly without stealing the scene. Though we're far from fully understanding how complex behavior manifests from simple units and rules, our awareness that such emergence is possible is guiding research across disciplines. Readers unfamiliar with the sciences of complexity will find Emergence an excellent starting point, while those who were chaotic before it was cool will appreciate its updates and wider scope. --Rob Lightner
Patterns In Imagination (2009-07-02)
Written during the height of the late Tech Bubble, it often seems to have more faith, in a secular way of course, in the imagined promises of technology in general and software in particular. The similes are compelling, and the parallels are intriguing, but there's always some nagging question on what it all means. None of the short-term predictions have come to pass, and the long-term predictions are more in the way of philosophical musings of the author. And, the almost child-like respect for computer simulations is questionable, particularly when presented without any supporting arguments or explanations. Not a book on technology as such, or anything really concrete or otherwise directly useful. Some of the points bring to mind the clashes between the Copenhagen and Gottingen schools when quantum mechanics was being conjured up. A good read for speculative background on artificial intelligence.
Not enough emergence (2009-04-22)
I was prepared to like this book since it deals Emergence, a subject I'm interested in. Some parts of this book are relevant, such as stories about ants, slime molds, Starlogo, the Sims, the Gearhead toys, while other parts seem to be included to philosophize about how various aspects of life have some hints of Emergence (or is it evolution?), such as cities (on and on), computers, the world wide web, chimpanzees, and much more. I thought about a third of the book was interesting enough to read intently, and I used speed reading (or page skipping) to go through the rest of the book. In short, some interesting Emergence, but not enough. This is a fine book to get from the library or to buy used.
I love this book. It's now one of my favorites (2009-03-30)
I love the analogies that he uses and how he analyzes ant colonies. He makes a pretty good case to show how collective intelligence is what moves mountains, not any one person's particular intelligence.
Great Book (2008-11-23)
I read this about a year ago and purchased a copy for my girl friend. Very interesting and insightful perspective on life and organization.
Nice soft intro to concepts of self-organisation (2008-08-04)
For those with a technical interest in the matter, this is a nice soft intro to the topics with which concerned. It is written with a somewhat emotional style; probably not an ideal technical resource.
For the readers not akin to the concepts at all, the book successfully conveys a nice (and vitally important) way of interpreting natural phenomena (that of self-organisation, collective intelligence, etc.), but, through its somewhat emotional style, may create a sort of hype around the concept.
A pleasant and fast read, over-all; worth it.
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