Bigger than Chaos by Michael Strevens
Many complex systemsfrom immensely complicated ecosystems to minute assemblages of moleculessurprise us with their simple behavior. In this book, Michael Strevens aims to explain how simplicity can coexist with, indeed be caused by, the tangled interconnections between a complex systems many parts.
[Strevens] shows how, in the right hands at least, the mathematisation of population ecology does not need to obscure or ignore the underlying biologyRather, the mathematics can be seen to represent the underlying biology in a systematic, simple, and natural way. -- Mark Colyvan * Biology and Philosophy *
This book is a serious and ambitious effort to explain how complex systems can exhibit simple behaviour… There is much to be learned in reading [Strevens’s] book. His attempt to solve the puzzle is serious and provocative. He raises interesting and important issues related to the central puzzle and provides insightful analyses of many of these issues. The work deserves the attention of the philosophical community, particularly those who are interested in the philosophical foundations of probability, physics, biology, or economics. -- Fred Kronz * Metascience *
In this ambitious reformulation of the probabilistic descriptions of stability (equilibrium, quasi-equilibrium, or quasi-determinate evolution) of collective systems, Strevens…has fairly rigorously defined a set of problems of micro state–macro state relations focusing on the inevitably ‘simple behavior’ of ‘complex systems’ that meet appropriate stochastic criteria. -- P. D. Skiff * Choice *
This impressive book tackles an important question: how can systems of many interacting parts, which thus display low-level complexity, give rise to high-level simplicity? Said another way: how can very complicated and seemingly capricious micro-behavior generate stable, predictable macro-behavior? Complex systems of the sort Strevens deals with are all around us. Thermodynamics and ecology are just the beginning. He makes real progress on a genuinely difficult topic, one that is of central interest to science and to the philosophy of science. He also has a seemingly effortless command of his materials and a sure grip on the conceptual issues. The work is technically sophisticated—he knows his mathematics, probability theory and physics—and elegantly written. This is what good philosophy is all about. -- Alan Hájek, Professor of Philosophy, California Institute of Technology
This book is a model of clarity, at both the ‘macro’ and the ‘micro’ levels; the expository style is entertaining without being distracting; the presentation of technical material shows the deft touch of someone who has mastery of it without the inclination to overindulge in it. -- Ned Hall, Professor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This book is a serious and ambitious effort to explain how complex systems can exhibit simple behaviour… There is much to be learned in reading [Strevens’s] book. His attempt to solve the puzzle is serious and provocative. He raises interesting and important issues related to the central puzzle and provides insightful analyses of many of these issues. The work deserves the attention of the philosophical community, particularly those who are interested in the philosophical foundations of probability, physics, biology, or economics. -- Fred Kronz * Metascience *
In this ambitious reformulation of the probabilistic descriptions of stability (equilibrium, quasi-equilibrium, or quasi-determinate evolution) of collective systems, Strevens…has fairly rigorously defined a set of problems of micro state–macro state relations focusing on the inevitably ‘simple behavior’ of ‘complex systems’ that meet appropriate stochastic criteria. -- P. D. Skiff * Choice *
This impressive book tackles an important question: how can systems of many interacting parts, which thus display low-level complexity, give rise to high-level simplicity? Said another way: how can very complicated and seemingly capricious micro-behavior generate stable, predictable macro-behavior? Complex systems of the sort Strevens deals with are all around us. Thermodynamics and ecology are just the beginning. He makes real progress on a genuinely difficult topic, one that is of central interest to science and to the philosophy of science. He also has a seemingly effortless command of his materials and a sure grip on the conceptual issues. The work is technically sophisticated—he knows his mathematics, probability theory and physics—and elegantly written. This is what good philosophy is all about. -- Alan Hájek, Professor of Philosophy, California Institute of Technology
This book is a model of clarity, at both the ‘macro’ and the ‘micro’ levels; the expository style is entertaining without being distracting; the presentation of technical material shows the deft touch of someone who has mastery of it without the inclination to overindulge in it. -- Ned Hall, Professor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Michael Strevens is Professor of Philosophy at New York University. He received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780674022591 |
| ISBN 10 | 0674022599 |
| Title | Bigger than Chaos |
| Author | Michael Strevens |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press |
| Year published | 2006-09-01 |
| Number of pages | 432 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |