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Emergence is what happens when an interconnected
system of relatively simple elements self-organizes to form
more intelligent, more adaptive higher-level behavior. It's
a bottom-up model; rather than being engineered by a general
or a master planner, emergence begins at the ground level.
Systems that at first glance seem vastly different -- ant
colonies, human brains, cities, immune systems -- all turn
out to follow the rules of emergence. In each of these systems,
agents residing on one scale start producing behavior that
lies a scale above them: ants create colonies, urbanites
create neighborhoods.
In the tradition of Being Digital
and The Tipping Point, Steven Johnson, acclaimed
as a "cultural critic with a poet's heart" (The
Village Voice), takes readers on an eye-opening intellectual
journey from the discovery of emergence to its applications.
He introduces us to our everyday surroundings, offering
surprising examples of feedback, self-organization, and
adaptive learning. How does a lively neighborhood evolve
out of a disconnected association of shopkeepers, bartenders,
and real estate developers? How does a media event take
up a life of its own? How will new software programs create
an intelligent World Wide Web?
Drawing upon evolutionary theory, urban
studies, neuroscience, and computer games, Emergence
is a guidebook to one of the key components of twenty-first
century culture. Until recently, Johnson explains, the disparate
philosophers of emergence have worked to interpret the world.
But today they are starting to change it. This book is the
riveting story of that change and what it means for the
future. If you've searched for information on the Web, played
a recent video game, or accepted a collect call using voice
recognition software, you've already encountered the new
world of artificial emergence. Provocative, engaging, and
sophisticated, Emergence puts you on the front lines
of a sweeping revolution in science and thought.
Steven Johnson is the cofounder of Feed
(www.feedmag.com), the Internet's acclaimed voice on technology,
science, and culture. Newsweek named him one of their
"50 People Who Matter Most on the Internet," and
The Village Voice chose him as one of their nine
"Writers on the Verge 2000." Johnson's work has
appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street
Journal, Lingua Franca, Harper's, Brill's
Content, and the London Guardian. He holds a B.A.
in semiotics from Brown University and an M.A. in English
from Columbia, and he lives in New York City.
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