Complexity
The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos
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Complexity
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Narrated by:
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Mikael Naramore
About this listen
“If you liked Chaos, you’ll love Complexity. Waldrop creates the most exciting intellectual adventure story of the year” (The Washington Post).
In a rarified world of scientific research, a revolution has been brewing. Its activists are not anarchists, but rather Nobel Laureates in physics and economics and pony-tailed graduates, mathematicians, and computer scientists from all over the world. They have formed an iconoclastic think-tank and their radical idea is to create a new science: complexity. They want to know how a primordial soup of simple molecules managed to turn itself into the first living cell--and what the origin of life some four billion years ago can tell us about the process of technological innovation today.
This book is their story--the story of how they have tried to forge what they like to call the science of the 21st century.
“Lucidly shows physicists, biologists, computer scientists and economists swapping metaphors and reveling in the sense that epochal discoveries are just around the corner...[Waldrop] has a special talent for relaying the exhilaration of moments of intellectual insight.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“Where I enjoyed the book was when it dove into the actual question of complexity, talking about complex systems in economics, biology, genetics, computer modeling, and so on. Snippets of rare beauty here and there almost took your breath away.” (Medium)
“[Waldrop] provides a good grounding of what may indeed be the first flowering of a new science.” (Publishers Weekly)
Cover design by Mauricio Díaz
©1995 M. Mitchell Waldrop (P)2020 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Complexity
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- steve
- 12-02-21
well read. functional problem playing this. . ..
well read. functional problem playing this. . Drops out 6 hours from the end. .subject matter could be better.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Neil Creamer
- 21-09-21
Changed my ideas about so many things
This was an excellent, accessible introduction to a fascinating subject. Since it mixed biography with a broad description of the ideas and aims of the key figures who developed this field it was possible to gain an understanding of the sort of problems they were trying to solve. What was particularly interesting was the way in which ideas coming from one field could be applied to another.
I don’t think I’ll ever look at the world the same again and just an appreciation of these ideas has given a different outlook on evolution, society and even the definition of life and how that impacts on the future of the human race.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Bart Pander
- 04-02-21
Very much a biography of the Santa Fe institute.
it was fine to listen to but it was much more a biography of a group of interesting figures then to popular science book I expected.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- MJ
- 25-11-20
Hooray for Santa Fe
Complexity at the edge of chaos, just about sums it up. Fascinating hearing about all the different people and ideas converging on the same insights.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anna H.
- 15-09-21
1995 so quite old now given the topic.
Interesting look at the history of SF Institute from start to 1995 Inc. Theories about complexity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ali Alderete
- 03-09-20
amazing!
I'm familiar with the topic, and still it blew my Mind!!
the narrative is almost poetic!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Tim
- 21-07-20
A simply told story of complexity
I found this book an interesting read. I had heard a few of the characters give seminars, and have a reasonable understanding of complexity theory. But I did not know the history of the field. I really enjoyed learning about it. The story is very well told, and engaging. I enjoyed this book. It would have perhaps been improved with a slightly deeper exploration of some of the concepts and consequences of complexity science, in places. However, it is possible I am being too critical, as some of these insights may have been achieved after the book was published.
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gavin
- 21-01-22
Interesting but vague
A lot of interesting ideas glossed over for a more biographical story. Was very interesting in parts, but felt I had to listen to too much back story at times making the book feel disjointed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rebecca
- 24-12-21
Great insight into the origins of complexity
detailed however a great high level overview of principles in sfi. Also a clear view on the potential future directions of the teams
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Emils Petracenoks
- 13-03-22
An inside view on a scientific breakthrough
The book is truly a pearl, it inspires research, it inspires perpetuation of intellectual pursuit.
Reading chapter 9 was scary. It's so actual for 2022 that it feels like this chapter was written not earlier than in the past decade, but it's 30 years old. It's embarrassing that this stuff is yet to be taught in schools. It's embarrassing that this stuff is falling on deaf ears of the politicians.
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