Emergence The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software

ANEW YORK TIMESNOTABLE BOOKAVOICE LITERARY SUPPLEMENTTOP 25 FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEARANESQUIREMAGAZINE BEST BOOK OF THE YEARIn the tradition ofBeing DigitalandThe Tipping Point,Steven Johnson, acclaimed as a "cultural critic with a poet's heart"(The Village Voice),takes readers on an eye-opening journey through emergence theory and its applications. Explaining why the whole is sometimes smarter than the sum of its parts, Johnson presents surprising examples of feedback, self-organization, and adaptive learning. How does a lively neighborhood evolve out of a disconnected group 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?In the coming years, the power of self-organization -- coupled with the connective technology of the Internet -- will usher in a revolution every bit as significant as the introduction of electricity. Provocative and engaging,Emergenceputs you on the front lines of this exciting upheaval in science and thought.

Steven Johnson cofounded Feed, the Internet's acclaimed voice on technology, science, and culture. He is the author of Interface Culture and holds a B.A. in semiotics from Brown University and an M.A. in English from Columbia. He lives in New York City.

Contents

Introduction: Here Comes Everybody!

Part One

1. The Myth of the Ant Queen

Part Two

2. Street Level
3. The Pattern Match
4. Listening to Feedback
5. Control Artist

Part Three

6. The Mind Readers
7. See What Happens

Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index