From Strange Simplicity to Complex Familiarity: A Treatise on Matter, Information, Life and Thought 1st edition by Eigen, Manfred (2013) Hardcover

by Manfred Eigen

This book presents a vivid argument for the almost lost idea of a unity of all natural sciences. It starts with the "strange" physics of matter, including particle physics, atomic physics and quantum mechanics, cosmology, relativity and their consequences (Chapter I), and it continues by describing the properties of material systems that are best understood by statistical and phase-space concepts (Chapter II). These lead to entropy and to the classical picture of quantitative information, initially devoid of value and meaning (Chapter III). Finally, "information space" and dynamics within it are introduced as a basis for semantics (Chapter IV), leading to an exploration of life and thought as new problems in physics (Chapter V). Dynamic equations - again of a strange (but very general) nature - bring about the complex familiarity of the world we live in. Surprising new results in the life sciences open our eyes to the richness of physical thought, and they show us what can and what cannot be explained by a Darwinian approach. The abstract physical approach is applicable to the origins of life, of meaningful information and even of our universe.

Genres: Science, Physics, Stem

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Benji · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theory of matter, life, and thought; discussing fundamental, yet

challenging questions in light of the information-based view of

self-organizing biology.


Required reading if you've ever contemplated the following questions:

'The Universe: A Finite Island in an Infinite Ocean of Space?'

'How Many Trees Make a Wood?'

'Do We Live in a Markovian World?'

'Whose Information is in Our Genes?'

'Are We Points in Hilbert Space?'

'Can a Simplex be Complex?'

'Was the Watchmaker Really Blind?'


Highly recommended.