By Steven Johnson, 2001, Scribner
Review by Roger F Malina
Recommended by: Fred Turner, Roger Malina and add your name
This book, from 2001, provides a broad outline of the topic of emergence in both social and physical systems. Drawing on evolutionary theory, urban studies, neuroscience and computer games ,it’s a good beginning of 21st century guidebook to the concept and applications of the concepts of “emergence”
The computer cards were in the book when Turner handed it over to Malina . Annotation is “:#7626 *meme/time to listen to message”.
Chapter headings are: The Myth of the Ant Queen, Street Level, the Pattern Match,Listening to feedback,Control Artist, the Mind Readers, See What Happens, Notes, Bib. Acknowledgements , index
The only illustration in the book makes a core point:
This review written by Malina after beginning to re-read the book in 2024 that he had originally read 20 years before. The book is still a good foundation to emergence thinking and doing.