[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)