Complexity
by M. Mitchell Waldrop · first published 1992
67% recommend33% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Narrative history of complexity science told through the people who built it, covering emergence, artificial life, and complex adaptive systems; recommended for readers curious about how these ideas developed.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In a rented convent in Santa Fe, a revolution has been brewing. The activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics such as Murray Gell-Mann and Kenneth Arrow, and pony-tailed graduate students, mathematicians, and computer scientists down from Los Alamos. They've formed an iconoclastic think tank called the Santa Fe Institute, and their radical idea is to create a new science called complexity." "These mavericks from academe share a deep impatience with the kind of linear, reductionist thinking that has dominated science since the time of Newton. Instead, th
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I recommend http://www.amazon.com/COMPLEXITY-EMERGING-SCIENCE-ORDER-CHAO... which addresses this question in fascinating detail, and of course http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Watchmaker-Evidence-Evolution-Un...
on “The Woman Who Can't Recognize Her Face” ↗I am reading 'Complexity' by Mitchell Waldrop and it mentioned boids a few chapters back. It is a pretty interesting book if you like this sort of stuff, lots of background on the game of life, artificial life, and emergent behavior…
on “Boids - a mini artificial life simulator” ↗I would recommend reading: Complexity by M. Waldrop https://commoncog.com/learning-from-waldrop-complexity/ The Systems Bible by J. Gall (This one is an odd one but it is good for developing a sense of humor) https://novelinvestor.com/notes/systemantics-how-systems-wor...
on “We must seek a widely-applicable science of systems” ↗…skills then the sky is the limit. David Pines spoke at my sister's graduation and he changed my outlook on life, hence my praise for the field. I reccomend reading "Forunte's Formula" by poundstone, Complexity The emerging science at the edge of order and chaos by waldrop. My life as a quant by dermann. Oh and And Ploya's "How to solve it". If that doesn't give you an idea of how valuable a legitimate BS in…
on “How useful is a Physics degree?” ↗Anyone who enjoys this sort of work may also like the book Complexity by Waldrop, which covers the history of Complexity theory through the eyes of the people who created it. It's a really fun story that's inspirational and intellectually satisfying.
on “Sprout Life” ↗Complexity by Mitchell Waldrop. An exploration of complex adaptive systems and emergence and how they relate to everything around us changed my worldview permanently.
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗Complexity - The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop
on “Did the Early Universe Have One Dimension?” ↗To me, this blog post is a "duh!" moment. Of course, it's true, there are a number of factors that influence an apparently revolutionary discovery. It's similar to topics covered in Complexity by Mitchell Waldrop. Let's also not forget luck. That's another determining factor.
on “Debunking The Myths of Innovation” ↗…"Meet Joe" I found a very astute description of the situation my best friend and I were commiserating about just yesterday. Through the common cog blog I also stumbled onto this book recommendation: Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos by M. Mitchell Waldrop; and it feels like the complexity of today's world is partly responsible for this loss of agency many of us experience and dread
on “Animistic Agency: An Exploration into the Phenomenology of Agency” ↗