We have only recently begun to recognize it, yet it exists at every level of our lived experience. It is fast becoming clear that our lives revolve around the powers of emergence. An ant colony behaves with an intelligence no particular ant possesses; a brain is conscious although no particular brain cell is; a city develops districts and neighbourhoods no planner could impose. In each case, complex problems are solved by a profusion of relatively simple elements. Order arrives from the bottom up, not top down. Such systems ...
Read More
We have only recently begun to recognize it, yet it exists at every level of our lived experience. It is fast becoming clear that our lives revolve around the powers of emergence. An ant colony behaves with an intelligence no particular ant possesses; a brain is conscious although no particular brain cell is; a city develops districts and neighbourhoods no planner could impose. In each case, complex problems are solved by a profusion of relatively simple elements. Order arrives from the bottom up, not top down. Such systems display emergent behaviour: the movement from low-level rules to higher-level sophistication. Media, technology and cultural critic Steven Johnson ranges from computer games that simulate living ecology to the guild system of 12th-century Florence; from the initial cell division that marks the very beginning of life to software that lets you listen to the sound of your own brain. The connections between these systems are not the links of poetic metaphor. Everywhere the same laws are obeyed, the same swarm logic is at work. Johnson unearths a secret history of decentralized thinking, looking at those like Adam Smith, Friedrich Engels and Alan Turing who contributed to the study of self-organization long before this became a recognized science. But most of all Johnson pursues emergence in the present, investigating the software that will soon allow artificial emergence to transform our media, bringing sweeping cultural and political change in its wake. This compelling and revelatory book is rich with insights into that future. "Emergence" allows us to witness the exhilarating arrival and sudden ascendancy of a potent new idea.
Read Less
Add this copy of Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $5.97, new condition, Sold by Oliver Owl Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from knoxville, TN, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner.
Add this copy of Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $6.01, new condition, Sold by Positive Tutors, ships from Phoenix, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.
Add this copy of Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $9.89, new condition, Sold by Revolver Market LLC rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from long beach, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Scribner Book Company.
Add this copy of Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $9.99, new condition, Sold by upickbooks/Daisy Li rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Daly City, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Scribner.
Add this copy of Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $12.03, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.
Add this copy of Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $12.34, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $13.41, new condition, Sold by Ambis Enterprises LLC rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Benton Harbor, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Brand New! Not Overstocks or Low Quality Book Club Editions! Direct From the Publisher! We're a small town bookstore that loves books and loves it's customers! Buy from US! Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p.
Add this copy of Emergence: the Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, to cart. $16.65, new condition, Sold by Ebooksweb rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bensalem, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Scribner Book Company.