Stuart Kauffman has written a challenging book on the general problem of the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. Kauffman contends that the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution by natural selection must be extended to accommodate new information from molecular biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Kauffman's hallmark is a shift to nonlinear paradigms for living systems. Kauffman argues that biological order is largely self-organized and spontaneous, and proposes to extend ...
Read More
Stuart Kauffman has written a challenging book on the general problem of the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. Kauffman contends that the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution by natural selection must be extended to accommodate new information from molecular biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics. Kauffman's hallmark is a shift to nonlinear paradigms for living systems. Kauffman argues that biological order is largely self-organized and spontaneous, and proposes to extend evolutionary theory beyond Darwin. His thesis requires three components: an understanding of spontaneous sources of order and self-organization; integration with natural selection, which in Kauffman's scheme molds biological order; and a consideration of adaptation. Origins of Order will advance our understanding of evolution and provoke considerable discussion among evolutionary, molecular and developmental biologists.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $28.95, good condition, Sold by Book Forest rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Rafael, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press, USA.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Binding is unblemished, text block is clean, boards straight, without highlights or markings. Mild rubbing/chipping to dust wrapper edges, front hinge is splitting. Supporting Bay Area Friends of the Library since 2010. Well packaged and promptly shipped.
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $28.96, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have some wear or writing/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $28.96, fair condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used textbooks may not include companion materials such as access codes, etc. May have condition issues including wear and notes/highlighting. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $66.79, very good condition, Sold by Rebooksellers rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tequesta, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 6x1x9; This Book is in Very Good condition-NAME NEATLY WRITTEN ON SIDE PAGE EDGES, REST CLEAN AND FINE. See our picture for exact item you will receive. All items ship within 24 hours. Packaging is 100% Recyclable. Most items purchased from Charitable organizations. A portion of each sale is also donated to a monthly charity, check your package for this month's charity. Reuse-Recycle-Rebook!
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $71.15, very good condition, Sold by Pink Casa Antiques rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Frankfort, KY, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 6x1x9; full number line, hardcover with dust jacket, tight, pages clear and bright, shelf and edge wear, corners bumped, previous owners name marked out on flyleaf, packaged in cardboard box for shipment, tracking on U.S. orders.
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $75.00, very good condition, Sold by Grey Matter Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hadley, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very Good in Very Good jacket. Text is unmarked; pages are bright, though the top edge of the pages is foxed. Binding is sturdy. Dust jacket shows a little light wear around the corners.
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $75.57, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $102.38, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Add this copy of The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection to cart. $107.55, new condition, Sold by GridFreed rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from North Las Vegas, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Kauffman's book is not for the layman; it is actually rather difficult to read. Its topics belongs to the science of mathematical biology in its noblest sense. Central to its presentation is largely the NK model of random connected elements of an ensemble and, generally, graph - theoretical, Boolean, and other interconnected nets. It is proposed, by and large, that most of its subject matter: molecular biology, the origins of life, ontogenesis, etc. in an evolutional context (test tube and natural) the compromise between stability and change is best understood by looking at the interface between 'supracritical and subcritical' domains, the system lying close to, yet not reaching, the chaotic range. This approach is really novel at the origin of life section. My sole critics is that "less would have been more": I think the book contains matter well worth writing two books instead of one.
Brock
Mar 12, 2010
A Rigorous New Science
Kauffman's hefty tome is not for the scientifically feint-hearted. It contains some wonderfully informative surveys of molecular biology, evolution, biochemistry and evolutionary biology. While each section and chapter opens with seductively general 'big pictures', it doesn' t take Kauffmann long to knuckle down into the science proper and he's takin no prisoners. This is immersion type knowlege transfer and if you don't have the background (like me) then you will spend plenty of time exploiting the rich resources of the footnotes and bibliographies.
There are over 700 pages of thinking to immerse yourself in and the less than dedicated reader will be washed ashore in next to no time. Something along the lines of Waldrops "Complexity" and one of Kauffman's essay collections might make for some worthwhile and useful background reading if you're not sure that you're ready for this book.
Having said that - this is not just a science book, not by a long stretch. I guess the project of this book is to argue for (and take you through the science of) an entirely new approach to nature itself. That's a pretty serious undertaking and I guess that's why Kauffman backs up his views with so much contemporary science.
It feels very very important. If this book isn't on just about every high school and college reading list in every major science department around the globe, it won't be too much longer until it is....
