Chaos and Life.pdf

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1、Bird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageiCHAOSANDLIFEBird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageiiCOLUMBIAUNIVERSITYPRESS/NEWYORKBird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageiiiCHAOSANDLIFECOMPLEXITYANDORDERINEVOLUTIONANDTHOUGHTRICHARDJ.BIRDBird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageivCOLUMBIAUNIVERSITYPRESSPublishersSince1893NewYorkChiche

2、ster,WestSussex©2003ColumbiaUniversityPressAllrightsreservedLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataBird,RichardJ.Chaosandlife:complexityandorderinevolutionandthought/RichardJ.Birdp.cm.Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.ISBN0–231–12662–X1.Biology—Philosophy

3、.2.Evolution(Biology)—Philosophy.3.Chaoticbehaviorinsystems.I.Title.QH331.B5252003570'.1—dc212003051637ColumbiaUniversityPressbooksareprintedonpermanentanddurableacid-freepaper.PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaDesignedbyLisaHammc1098765432Bird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPagevCONTE

4、NTSPrefaceviiAcknowledgmentsixProlog:TheDawnofMan?11IterationandSequence32TheCrisisinBiology233TheOriginof“Species”424ChaosandDimensionality555Chaostability726TheGeometryofLife977TheLivingComputer1248MorphologyandEvolution1509Entropy,Information,andRandomness17210TheEff

5、ectivenessofMathematics20211LifeandConflict22112TheWorldasIterationandRecursion236Notes271Index295Bird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageviBird_FM9/12/0311:51AMPageviiPREFACEThisisabookaboutchaosandlife,anditmostlytellsitsownstory.Ifthereisasubtextitisthatthescientificenterprise,whichh

6、asbeentheinspirationofourage,isnowflagginginthatrole.Itrytoexploresomeofthereasonsbe-hindthefailureofsciencetoengagetheemotionsandloyaltiesofthegeneralpopulationitserves.Inmyviewthisisbecausesciencehas,atleastsincetheEnlightenment,neglectedthoseaspectsofrealitythatitcann

7、otcomfortablyincorporateintoitsassociatededificeofbelief.Thishascometobesummedupinthefaith,especiallyentrenchedinbiology,thateventsareessentiallyran-domandthatfromthisrandomsetofeventssomeareselectedbecausetheyarebetteradaptedthanotherstotheirsurroundings.Thisbelief,whic

8、hisanaxiomofDarwinistexplanations,rendersessentiallymeaninglessthosecoinci-dencesandapparentlysignificantevents