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Design in Nature: How the Constructal Law Governs Evolution in Biology, Physics, Technology, and Social Organization
In this groundbreaking book, Adrian Bejan takes the recurring patterns in nature—trees, tributaries, air passages, neural networks, and lightning bolts—and reveals how a single principle of physics, the Constructal Law, accounts for the evolution of these and all other designs in our world.
Everything—from biological life to inanimate systems—generates shape and structure...more
Everything—from biological life to inanimate systems—generates shape and structure...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
January 24th 2012
by Doubleday
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The hypothesis of this book is that an innate goal of nature is to accomplish its flows of energy and matter with the least dissipation of energy in the form of useless heat; and that the evolution of things toward this goal leads to the profusion of complexity found in nature, including to living things.
The author proclaims this and illustrates it with numerous examples to provide evidence. He does this in an arrogant and self-promoting way that many others have noted in their reviews. Let me...more
The author proclaims this and illustrates it with numerous examples to provide evidence. He does this in an arrogant and self-promoting way that many others have noted in their reviews. Let me...more
The premise of the book is that nature (which include all of us) follows a basic law of construction and how energy is dispersed over a system. If you look at a tree and the way the branches grow out from the trunk, this is the same structure as a river system, the human lung, lightning and social organizations (larger branches dispersing energy and work into smaller and smaller branches to effectively move energy and produce work efficiently). Following the laws of thermodynamics, energy gets d...more
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I've been waiting a while to come across a book like this one. Reading this book brought me back to when I first read The Selfish Gene. A simple, clear exposition of a principle that has so much explanatory power. Like Dawkins, Bejan offers a new and powerful perspective. But the scope of this book is far broader than anything Dawkins (or most other authors, for that matter) could aspire to.
It is extremely bold in one sense - the authors propose a universal theory of life (and a vast definition...more
It is extremely bold in one sense - the authors propose a universal theory of life (and a vast definition...more
Like some people before me, I was was somewhat disappointed in this book.
First of all, Bejan is very arrogant. He is not the first, nor will be the last popular science author to be this, but it quite insufferable of him to keep repeating that he has surpassed Darwin and can make every (important) thing in nature clear by performing his subfield of thermodynamics. Of course prof. Bejan keeps reminding us that it is only natural that the ignorant masses can't recognize his genius. (And he doesn't...more
First of all, Bejan is very arrogant. He is not the first, nor will be the last popular science author to be this, but it quite insufferable of him to keep repeating that he has surpassed Darwin and can make every (important) thing in nature clear by performing his subfield of thermodynamics. Of course prof. Bejan keeps reminding us that it is only natural that the ignorant masses can't recognize his genius. (And he doesn't...more
A potentially valuable insight and tool buried in hubris and poor writing. The basic idea is to apply the basic laws of thermodynamics to living organisms (and social structures and human knowledge/science). Instead of looking at static structures we need to look at how energy/mass flows through them.
A good seminar could be made by critically detailing Bejan's misconceptions and errors.
1) He really doesn't understand Darwin or Steven Jay Gould.
2) The whole scaling concept was known and used 3...more
A good seminar could be made by critically detailing Bejan's misconceptions and errors.
1) He really doesn't understand Darwin or Steven Jay Gould.
2) The whole scaling concept was known and used 3...more
Design in Nature presents some interesting new thoughts on flow systems and the nature of the biosphere. However, I don't think it really achieves its purpose of introducing these thoughts to a lay audience.
Note: I was an English major. If you are a scientist or a mathematician, you may well get a lot more out of it than I did.
The primary author is Adrian Bejan, who is a well-known physics professor at Duke University. His cowriter is J. Peder Zane, whom I assume was hired to make the book more...more
Note: I was an English major. If you are a scientist or a mathematician, you may well get a lot more out of it than I did.
The primary author is Adrian Bejan, who is a well-known physics professor at Duke University. His cowriter is J. Peder Zane, whom I assume was hired to make the book more...more
I became both enamored and annoyed by this little treatise. The idea of searching for a unifying force behind the driving life of both animate and inanimate objects sounds so appealing, I couldn't help but almost cheer at the celebration of Movement. However, I would have easily wanted to avoid the grandstanding and self-indulgence the author offered. When he started talking about how all the ideas of early thinkers coalesced into the law of gravity, I shuddered at the obvious direction of his t...more
Everything is channels and flow
After reading Design in Nature, by Brian Bejan, everything seemed to change just a little. I imagine this is what it might have felt like after reading Darwin before evolution was an accepted theory. Bejan writes about another natural force he calls the constructal law. New to me, the concept is that anything that flows — and practically everything flows — is governed by an organizing principle that maximizes the efficiency of flow against resistance. The thought t...more
After reading Design in Nature, by Brian Bejan, everything seemed to change just a little. I imagine this is what it might have felt like after reading Darwin before evolution was an accepted theory. Bejan writes about another natural force he calls the constructal law. New to me, the concept is that anything that flows — and practically everything flows — is governed by an organizing principle that maximizes the efficiency of flow against resistance. The thought t...more
Not very well written. It almost felt like the chapters were a transcribed lecture series. I found that there were too many references throughout the book to the same examples such that I often skipped paragraphs. Interesting concepts, yes, and several thought-provoking ideas that resolved such things (in my mind) as to why Humans are #1 on this planet: bi-pedal is a distinct advantage! I did enjoy the reference to Steven Jay Gould and "re-playing the tape" thought-experiments. Constructal law i...more
Very well done and simple exposition on constructal theory. the insight of scalar laws leading to change in all systems are important. the basic premise of increased flow leading to phase shifts and bifurcations are very beuatiful discoveries in science and complex systems including social and economic ones. this is a very accessible and fun science book.
Mar 22, 2012
Jeannine
added it
I can't really rate this book because I didn't finish it. The author's purpose in writing it escapes me totally.
But he had some good quotes. This one from The Tinkerer's Accomplice: "the pernicious tendency for the convenient assumption to become unquestioned dogma".
But he had some good quotes. This one from The Tinkerer's Accomplice: "the pernicious tendency for the convenient assumption to become unquestioned dogma".
I really want to read this book - I love the idea of the guiding principle for all of evolution - it appeals to how I think the world is. But the scientific/engineering style makes me struggle, which is a pity. I will keep trying....
Finally got into it, about 2/3rds of the way through - I am really enjoying reading about the principle, totally get it, and can apply it to all areas in life that I can think about (self-actualisation, emotional flow, behaviours, law of attraction), although the aut...more
Finally got into it, about 2/3rds of the way through - I am really enjoying reading about the principle, totally get it, and can apply it to all areas in life that I can think about (self-actualisation, emotional flow, behaviours, law of attraction), although the aut...more
The author's constructal theory provides a basis for the common evolution of biological organisms, organizations etc. It's all about flow...
Interesting premise and well presented. At some point though it seems that they are trying to stretch a simple idea too much to fill the pages.
Read this book.
I read this with some of my LTs. They liked it a great deal. It is insightful and will give you lots to chew on, but if his stuff was as useful as he claims I think the Nobel committee would have found him by now.
The constructural law gives rise to all kinds of new thinking. What the author demonstrates is significant and the thinking that arises is incredible. Good read for thinkers.
I gave up, the authors ego was more than I could bear
May 14, 2013
Steven
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
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Apr 24, 2013
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Apr 18, 2013
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| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructal Law: Big Idea, or Scientific Jetsam | 1 | 1 | Apr 02, 2013 01:06am |
