Emergence

'He's the man who taught computers how to have sex. And now, for an encore, he's working on a theory to explain the complexity of life and its myriad manifestations on planet earth.' New York Times In this book, one of today's most innovative thinkers, John H. Holland, explains the theory of emergenceDSa simple theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Emergence demonstrates that a small number of rules or laws can generate incredibly complex systems. From the checkers-playing computer that learnt to beat its creator again and again, to a fertilized egg that can program the development of a trillion-cell organism, to the ant colonies that build bridges over chasms and navigate leaf-boats on streams, this fascinating and groundbreaking book contains wide-ranging implications for science, business, and the arts. 'John Holland is an exceptionally imaginative person. Often surprising, and always engaging, he takes the reader on a journey from simplicity to complexity' Sir Robert May.

ISBN 0192862111   DEWEY edition DC21 ISBN13 9780192862112 (What's this?)   Pages 272 Publisher Oxford University Press   Weight (grammes) 293 Imprint Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Format Paperback   Height (mm) 196 Publication date 16 Mar 2000   Width (mm) 129 DEWEY 501   Academic level General

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; PREFACE; 1. BEFORE WE PROCEED; 2. GAMES AND NUMBERS; 3. MAPS, GAME THEORY, AND COMPUTER-BASED MODELLING; 4. CHECKERS; 5. NEURAL NETS; 6. TOWARD A GENERAL SETTING; 7. CONSTRAINED GENERATING PROCEDURES; 8. SAMUEL'S CHECKERSPLAYER; 9. VARIATION; 10. LEVELS OF DESCRIPTION AND REDUCTION; 11. METAPHOR AND INNOVATION; 12. CLOSING; REFERENCES; INDEX

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