Thinking in Complexity: The Complex Dynamics of Matter, Mind, and Mankind

by Klaus Mainzer

Chaos is cropping up everywhere these days. As it becomes ever more apparent that Newtonian mechanics is inadequate for modeling nonlinear systems, or systems that have too many degrees of freedom to handle easily, researchers in all fields are turning toward nonlinear dynamics as a refreshing alternative. This is a paradigm shift à la Kuhn, and Klaus Mainzer guides us through it with an astounding range of historical and scientific knowledge. From quantum physics to consciousness to economics, Mainzer shows us how thinking complexly can solve problems over which standard, linear thinking continually stumbles. Instead of simplifying, however, Mainzer revels in the complexity of complexity, so the reader should be prepared for advanced concepts in such varied fields as mathematics, physics, and economics. Difficult, but worthwhile reading.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Mathematics

329 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Gergely]

It's getting a bit old, thus the state of the art in some of the chapters moved on. Nonetheless the underlying principles seem solid enough, and thus loads of food for thought, how to apply more of the nonlinear thinking more, and more appropriately.

It brings in examples from loads of other work, though those bits could have used some more explanations (often it looked mostly just a lifted chart without much details and some general handwaving).

In general it's worthwhile, even when it doesn't quite stand on its own (need some basics, and best is to follow up on the interesting parts for more details).

[Zhifei Ge]

A marvelous book that intertwine science and philosophy in complexity and emergence. I'd like to read more on this topic.

[Gerry]

Absolutely engaging and eye-opening.

[Mikhail Filatov]

The author is more a philosopher than scientist and after a few chapters with useful overview of chaos theory, nonlinear dynamics he spends a lot of time applying “synergetic approach” to economics, scientific studies, politics, etc. all these “applications” are closer to pseudoscience, unfortunately, as he never explains how “dissipative systems” math is actually applicable to study economic systems and does not suggest any facts confirming that these theories are working there. Forget about any statistical validation, comparing different models, etc.

[Илья Ясный]

Вообще очень интересная книга, полезно было освежить то, что я давно читал у Пригожина и Чернавского. Автор пытается касаться современных тем, таких как IT, AI. Но в некоторых местах закапывается в такие подробности, которые лишние в обзорной, в целом, книге.