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Nature's Magic presents a bold new
vision of the evolutionary process -- from the Big Bang
to the 21st century. Synergy of various kinds is not only
a ubiquitous aspect of the natural world but it has also
been a wellspring of creativity and the "driver"
of the broad evolutionary trend toward increased complexity,
in nature and human societies alike. But in contrast with
the many theories of emergence of complexity that rely on
some underlying force or "law," the "Synergism
Hypothesis," as Peter Corning calls it, is in essence
an economic theory of biological complexity; it is fully
consistent with mainstream evolutionary biology. Corning
refers to it as Holistic Darwinism. Among the many important
insights that are provided by this new paradigm, Corning
presents a scenario in which the human species invented
itself; synergistic behavioral and technological innovations
were the "pacemakers" of our biological evolution.
Synergy has also been the key to the evolution of complex
modern societies, he concludes. The final chapter addresses
our current challenges and future prospects.
Peter Corning's varied career has included
a tour as a naval aviator, a stint in journalism as a science
writer for Newsweek, a Ph.D. in the social sciences,
post-doctoral training and research in biology and behavioral
genetics, several years of teaching in Stanford University's
interdisciplinary Human Biology Program, and broad private-sector
experience as a senior partner in a Silicon Valley consulting
firm. Currently director of the Institute for the Study
of Complex Systems, Dr. Corning is a member of several scientific
organizations and a past president of the International
Society for the Systems Sciences. He has also published
more than 150 professional articles and three previous books
and is widely known for his work on the role of synergy
as a causal agency in evolution.
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