Stuart Kauffman

The author argues that the science of complexity provides a way to move beyond reductionist science to something new: a unified culture where we see God in the creativity of the universe, biosphere, and humanity. Kauffman explains that the ceaseless natural creativity of the world can be a profound source of meaning, wonder, and further grounding of our place in the universe. His theory carries with it a new ethic for an emerging civilization and a reinterpretation of the divine. He asserts that we are impelled by the imperative of life itself to live with faith and courage-and the fact that we do so is indeed sublime. This book will change the way we all think about the evolution of humanity, the universe, faith, and reason… (more)

The current state of theoretical biologist Kauffman's reductionism-averse view of science and the world. In a near-the-end (p 123) recap of this little book, he says, "Thanks to the three closures -- constraint, work cycle, and catalytic -- living systems literally construct themselves ... upward into the unending openness of complexity in the nonergodic universe above the level of atoms. No laws describe or entail this miracle." When briefly describing what he sees as analogous self-construction in global economics, he completely neglects to mention the devastating impact that recent technological developments have had on privacy rights.… (more)