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This Book Presents A Vivid Argument For The Almost Lost Idea Of A Unity Of All Natural Sciences. It Starts With The Strange Physics Of Matter, Including Particle Physics, Atomic Physics And Quantum Mechanics, Cosmology, Relativity And Their Consequences (chapter I), And It Continues By Describing The Properties Of Material Systems That Are Best Understood By Statistical And Phase-space Concepts (chapter Ii). These Lead To Entropy And To The Classical Picture Of Quantitative Information, Initially Devoid Of Value And Meaning (chapter Iii). Finally, Information Space And Dynamics Within It Are Introduced As A Basis For Semantics (chapter Iv), Leading To An Exploration Of Life And Thought As New Problems In Physics (chapter V). Dynamic Equations - Again Of A Strange (but Very General) Nature - Bring About The Complex Familiarity Of The World We Live In. Surprising New Results In The Life Sciences Open Our Eyes To The Richness Of Physical Thought, And They Show Us What Can And What Cannot Be Explained By A Darwinian Approach. The Abstract Physical Approach Is Applicable To The Origins Of Life, Of Meaningful Information And Even Of Our Universe.
This work investigates the fundamental unity of the natural sciences by bridging the gap between physical matter and the emergence of complex life and thought. Manfred Eigen, a Nobel laureate in Chemistry, utilizes his extensive background in physical chemistry and molecular evolution to propose a framework where information dynamics serve as the connective tissue between quantum physics and biological complexity. The book argues that the transition from simple physical laws to the complex, meaningful structures of life can be modeled through specific dynamic equations that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this text as a profound, albeit dense, synthesis that challenges the compartmentalization of modern scientific inquiry. Readers frequently note that the prose requires a strong background in physics and mathematics to fully grasp the author's conceptual leaps.
Page Count:
751
Publication Date:
2013-01-01
Publisher:
OUP Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191633070
ISBN-13:
9780191633072
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