The collapse of chaos

Flaptekst

Rather than asking science’s traditional question of how to break the world down into its simplest components, Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart ask something much more interesting: Why does simplicity exist at all in a complex world? Their theory combines chaos and complexity and - surprisingly - derives simplicity from the interaction of the two. The first half is a witty primer, a guided tour of the Islands of Truth that maps out everything you need to know about science from Newton to the present. The second half dives into the Oceans of Ignorance that surround what is known -almost literally flipping over what you learned in the first section and putting it in a larger context. This unorthodox and adventurous book will enable people to look at the world in a startlingly new way.

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‘This ambitious book tearlessly asks some big questions, challenging us to look at science in a new way.’ - San Francisco Chronicle

‘Penetrates the Alice-in-Wonderland world of complexity and simplicity in nature… Not only entertaining but also - above all - stimulating.’ - Roger Lewin

‘A host of new and thought-provoking ideas about the workings of complex systems ... As good an introduction to [the] science of the future as any you’re likely to find.’ - John L. Casti, Nature