The origins of order
by Stuart A. Kauffman · first published 1993
57% recommend43% neutral
Stuart Kauffman here presents a brilliant new paradigm for evolutionary biology, one that extends the basic concepts of Darwinian evolution to accommodate recent findings and perspectives from the fields of biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. The book drives to the heart of the exciting debate on the origins of life and maintenance of order in complex biological systems. It focuses on the concept of self-organization: the spontaneous emergence of order widely observed throughout nature. Kauffman here argues that self-organization plays an important role in the emergence of life itself
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The Origins of Order by Stuart Kauffman - Reality is autocatalytic of life. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - civilization as a struggle of producers vs. looters; selfishness > altruism; the love of money is the root of mostly…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗for a good introduction to order and complexity (including intelligence) arising from nothing, read "the origins of order" by stuart kauffman.
on “Artificial Intelligence Still Isn’t All That Smart” ↗…noting too, that towards the end of the article he outlines experiments that could be used to falsify the theory. If you want a really hard-core dive into the ideas, then check out his 1993 book, "On The Origins of Order" (ISBN 978-0-19-507951-7). https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-origins-of-order...
on “Is the emergence of life an expected phase transition in the evolving universe?” ↗If you want to read more about how this works, I'd recommend Stuart Kauffman's "The origins of order". Be warned, it's not light reading, it's basically his PhD student's and his research, written up as a book, it is engaging though, and he leads you gently through the concepts - you do have to master…
on “The Puzzle of How Large-Scale Order Emerges in Complex Systems” ↗I think Kauffman has been developing this set of ideas for a while now. I remember reading his "the origins of order" and find a lot of the ideas from the book here in more evolved forms. He really got me into visualising complex systems and their state spaces etc.
on “Is the emergence of life an expected phase transition in the evolving universe?” ↗> [emergence of order] The Origins of Order: Self-Organization and Selection in Evolution (1991) https://www.abebooks.com/9780195058116/Origins-Order-Self-Or... > Did mitochondria have any idea It remains a possibility, not subject to fascile…
on “Where did DNA come from?” ↗Specifically his book, 'The Origins of Order'. Wondering if it is still considered useful to read or it has been debunked or superseded.
on “Ask HN: What is the current scientific opinion on the works of Stuart Kauffman?” ↗