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[ba-ohs-talk] Emergence -- the book


http://www.simonsays.com/book/default_book.cfm?isbn=068486875X&areaid=33    (01)

"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 suprising 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 on a life of its own? How will new 
software programs create an intelligent World Wide Web?"    (02)