NATURE S MAGIC. Synergy in Evolution and the Fate of Humankind.

Corning, Peter.

ISBN 10: 0521825474 / ISBN 13: 9780521825474

Published by C.U.P., 2003., 2003

About this Item

1st edition. 8vo. ix + 454pp. Original boards. Pictorial d/w. lettered in navy, very good. ISBN 0521825474 US$15.

Seller Inventory # 195059

Bibliographic Details

• Title: NATURE S MAGIC. Synergy in Evolution and the Fate of Humankind.
• Publisher: C.U.P., 2003.
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521825474
• ISBN 13: 9780521825474
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Dust Jacket Condition: Dust Jacket Included
• Seller catalogs:
  • SCIENCE & NATURAL HISTORY

About this title

Synopsis

In Nature's Magic Peter Corning states that synergy--a vaguely familiar term to many of us--has been a wellspring of creativity in the natural world and has played a key role in the evolution of cooperation and complexity at all levels, from physics and chemistry to the latest human technologies. The 'Synergism Hypothesis' asserts that synergy is more than a class of interesting and ubiquitous effects. It has also been a major causal agency in evolution; it represents a unifying explanation for biological complexity and represents a different perspective on the evolutionary process. In contrast to gene-centered theories, or postulates of self-organization and emergent 'laws' of complexity, the Synergism Hypothesis represents, in essence, an 'economic' (or bio-economic) theory of complexity. Peter A. Corning, Ph.D., is the Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems in Palo Alto, California. He has published numerous research papers and articles and three previous books, one of which was a theoretical monograph on the role of synergy in evolution, The Synergism Hypothesis: A Theory of Progressive Evolution (McGraw-Hill, 1983).

About the Author

Peter A. Corning, Ph.D., taught at Stanford University for many years and is now the Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems in Palo Alto, California. He has published more than 150 research papers and articles and three previous books, one of which was a theoretical monograph on the role of synergy in evolution.