The Web of Life: A New Scientific Understanding of Living Systems - Hardcover

Capra, Fritjof

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385476752 ISBN 13: 9780385476751

Publisher: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1996

Synopsis

The vitality and accessibility of Fritjof Capra's ideas have made him perhaps the most eloquent spokesperson of the latest findings emerging at the frontiers of scientific, social, and philosophical thought. In his international bestsellers The Tao of Physics and The Turning Point, he juxtaposed physics and mysticism to define a new vision of reality. In The Web of Life, Capra takes yet another giant step, setting forth a new scientific language to describe interrelationships and interdependence of psychological, biological, physical, social, and cultural phenomena--the "web of life."
During the past twenty-five years, scientists have challenged conventional views of evolution and the organization of living systems and have developed new theories with revolutionary philosophical and social implications. Fritjof Capra has been at the forefront of this revolution. In The Web of Life, Capra offers a brilliant synthesis of such recent scientific breakthroughs as the theory of complexity, Gaia theory, chaos theory, and other explanations of the properties of organisms, social systems, and ecosystems. Capra's surprising findings stand in stark contrast to accepted paradigms of mechanism and Darwinism and provide an extraordinary new foundation for ecological policies that will allow us to build and sustain communities without diminishing the opportunities for future generations.
Now available in paperback for the first time, The Web of Life is cutting-edge science writing in the tradition of James Gleick's Chaos, Gregory Bateson's Mind and Matter, and Ilya Prigogine's Order Out of Chaos.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

About this title

About the Author

Fritjof Capra, PhD, physicist and systems theorist, is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California. Capra is the author of several international bestsellers, including The Tao of Physics (1975), The Web of Life (1996), The Hidden Connections (2002), The Science of Leonardo (2007), and Learning from Leonardo (2013). He is a founding director of the Center for Ecoliteracy in Berkeley, California and has been the focus of television documentaries and magazine features. He lives in Berkeley, California.

From AudioFile

This is a work that defies categorization. It is a fascinating attempt to synthesize all of human knowledge and experience with Taoist religion. One could call it "Darwin and Einstein meet the Buddha." Michael Prichard's reading of this abridgment is adequate. His diction is excellent, and his pacing reminds this reviewer of a newsreel. While the narration is performed without emotion or variation, his pacing keeps this unique work from becoming monotonous. M.T.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Anchor Books/Doubleday
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0385476752
• ISBN 13: 9780385476751
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 347